Tears I Cry
by Seniya
Summary: It has been years since the gaurdians have been defeated, and Phobos has finally taken to power...but yet, there is something he still craves, something he can never have. WillxPhobos.
1. Chapter 1

**Tears I Cry**

**By Seniya**

_It is a sad day indeed when the fate of the world;_

_is placed into the hands of children_

Chapter One

…

…

The iron gray skies emptied their tears of anger onto the awaiting earth. Children, or the chosen few who had escaped their mothers' protective glances, dashed outside, to imagine a world of pirates and sea monsters; as only children can.

Those mothers trapped inside however; had quite a different outlook on the rain. Its horrible, continuous patter was an annoyance to most. It obscured the glorified view of the sunset, and it ruined picnics.

Yes, the rain ruined picnics.

The room was dark, illuminated only by an ever faltering glow of a sole candle. This was strange, especially for here, since before, it had always seemed to hold that one constant source of comfort.

Now, it was judgmental, drafty and confining. The smell of the peppermint tea heightened this atmosphere, what was given to reassure, now only threatened to sicken her.

Yan Lin approached the seated girl. Her aged face told many tales; drawn into the lines of her face were stories of childhood fantasies, and teenaged heartbreak. Not that one could ever tell, for many of us aren't taught to read wrinkles.

"Tell me more about these dreams" her voice sounded across the table, pausing once to admire the centerpiece.

"They're getting worse now" Will's voice faltered, blocked by shame, "It's getting harder for me to tell that they aren't real"

The purpose of the confession had been to aid the girl, to relieve her of her confusion. It hadn't worked, and now the bewilderment traveled upwards from her stomach, and lodged itself inside of her chest.

The younger continued after hearing no words of wisdom "I can't stand them anymore".

"They are only dreams" she offered a weak smile, which Will promptly declined.

"What do you see in them?" she had asked then, failing to mask the curiosity behind the voice.

"I see myself...I'm...hurting people...everyone...and..." after debating it in her mind whispered "I'm scared"

"There's no need to be Will"

"But...they're so real; I was thinking that they might be a prophecy..."

"They aren't" Yan Lin's voice had suddenly become very harsh, almost fearful. Her dark eyes fell upon the red haired youngster, suddenly wary. "These are being sent by someone, but I would advise you not to take them seriously, fear is what they want from you...don't let them succeed"

"But who would do this?"

"You mean you can't guess..."

…

…

Beyond the boundaries of fantasy, within his granite palace; paced a prince, though not the fantastic kind of whom fairy tales are weaved around.

Worry veiled his striking features, giving him a sickly, pallid color, which clashed terribly with his gorgeous silver blonde hair.

He would pause, occasionally between steps, to allow a cough to shake his thinning frame, but would quickly resume his walk in order to reject the help that was embodied in the form of his many servants.

"I'm dying" he repeated to the crowded room, although his words were only directed to one man.

"Sire…I beg of you to keep optimistic…your sister—," the words slithered from a darkened corner of the majestic room.

"She isn't enough" Phobos gestured for the others to leave, to which they hastily complied.

"Lord Phobos, how can you be certain of that?"

"Her powers would _sustain_ me Cedric, but only for a time…death would find me eventually"

For the first time Cedric felt doubtful, dangerously so; "Sire, surely you cannot be seeking immortality…no one, no man could ever hope to become immortal…"

"Are you aware what will happen to me when I die?" a smirk played across his sweaty face "There is only one place for men like me, and from what I have heard, it isn't pleasant"

"So, instead you will fix your _prayers_ on an unattainable alternative?"

"No, there _is_ a way Cedric" his ice blue eyes gleamed with a fiery passion. "The Heart Of Kandrakar…legends speak of its powers to heal the sick"

"Does it matter?" Cedric emerged from his place among the shadows. "It is currently in the possession of one of your enemies"

"I haven't forgotten"

"So then what is your plan…we steal her away, and convince her that all of the times you attempted to murder her were only in jest?" his voice held a bitter laughter.

"You should not worry about my plan Cedric…its _flawless_" He stopped as another convulsion racked him; Cedric, knowing his master, took this as a signal for his own departure.

Once certain of his loneliness, Phobos raised a blood stained hand to the rays of the naked moon. He watched as the light played with the crimson…bemused, he noted, his blood was red; just like her hair.

…

…

Dreams are an odd group. We can all remark without the slightest feeling of wrong doing that we seldom ever understand the complexities of our own.

Will, however could not be a part of our merry clan. Her dreams were obvious, and painfully so. They made no effort to cloak their meanings; indeed, the only question she had to ponder, was if they were still only dreams.

…

Gruesome visions clouded her dreams. A horrible monster arose from the depths of a misty wonderland, and destroyed all that was around it. It could not be stopped. Even worse was, that it didn't wish to be.

This creature fed on fear and pain. It delighted when it heard the pleas of others; they caused it to become stronger, more violent. And finally, still fueled by rage and bloodlust, this beast would pause.

And the moonlight would dance in its hair, which was always the same remarkable red. And Will would stare, with confusion dawning on her pretty face, as she saw herself.

…

She hadn't told her friends. Of course not, they all had the uncanny habit of either completely ignoring her or fussing over her to such an extent that it became sickening.

She _had_ told Yan Lin. Who had only supported her initial plans of secrecy. She had uttered some ineffective advice, of not granting these visions any attention, advice Will had tried her hardest to obey.

She was actually doing a rather good job at--it in fact if you hadn't heard her screams at night, or seen her tears in the morning. You would actually believe her answer to Irma's question of 'how are you doing?'

…

That was until one night. I believe it was in October. When her dreams suddenly took a different turn, and it was during this turning that she became familiar with a _Prince_.

…

The room was dark, and unfamiliar. It carried the air of someone who knew a delicious secret and was relishing in the fact that it wasn't telling. The only light came from the moon outside, and it entered through a small window in the corner.

…

She knew at once that she wasn't alone. She could hear his breathing, fragmented and slow. He lay on the bed, white sheets caked around his naked body, asleep.

Her breath caught in her throat at the sight. What was he doing here? What was she? Was this just as Yan Lin had warned her of?

She turned to leave, but stilled, finding there was no escape. The moonlight faded as the darkness closed in.

A gasp came from her lips when she heard him stirring. She should hide. She knew it, but her body seemed unwilling…it _wanted_ him to see her.

…

…

He didn't seem to be surprised at her attendance, or even slightly embarrassed by his own indecent state. Instead he stared at her, with his ice blue eyes, causing her breath to come in short strokes.

"Welcome" he breathed finally.

"You brought me here?" her own eyes had found solace in the floor.

"You could say that"

She could feel the heat as a soft blush painted across her cheeks. She had never before been the center of such attention.

Her mind tried to lace some sense into her body. He was her enemy, a threat. But still, sitting here, in the darkness of this room, she didn't see the danger in him, only the man. And what her eyes had glimpsed wasn't dangerous, only beautiful.

And what harm could he do her here? It was _only_ a dream.

…

…

He could just make out the features of her face through the fading lights. Her hair, a familiar red color, stopped just above her shoulders.

Her hands were clasped in front of her, and she was shaking slightly, perhaps due to the cold, or maybe…a smile tugged at his lips, she was frightened of him.

His gaze flickered over her body.

_The plan._

A voice, surprising reminiscent of his own hissed within his mind. He ignored it.

His own eyes had found sweet sanctuary with her lips, and he refused to let his gaze leave the prison that they kept him in.

_Perhaps_…the plan could wait for just a moment longer; he could after all, have some _fun_ with her first.

…

"What's your name?"

"What?"

"Your _name_, girl, what is it?"

"Does it matter?"

"I suppose not"

…

He knew _who_ she was, of course. The keeper of that blasted crystal. But she didn't have it here with her now, _unfortunately_, unless she had it strapped…somewhere. In any case, he had the intension of finding out.

…

"Come here" he held out his hand, but she didn't take it.

"Are you afraid?" he said thickly, immensely enjoying the way her eyes met his in defiance.

"Of what?" her voice was almost as constricted as his own; he took it as a signal.

She was already his.

She drew closer despite her reservations, stopping in the space between his legs; although she still didn't take his hand.

"Red hair" his fingers tangled with the strands, holding each with an infinite care. "My mother had red hair"

"Where is she now?"

"Dead"

Her eyes captured his; they were searching, for something they simply couldn't seem to find.

At last her fingers brushed his lips, a bold move on her part, and then with her virgin like care she explored the remainder of his face.

Her touch only excited her already heated body. He wouldn't be able to take much more of this.

…

He had seen her before; then, they had been on opposite sides. And he had only managed to purloin a few glances of her perfect face, and they had started this obsession.

Strange, how he hadn't known he had been obsessed until just now.

His powers were fading, undoubtedly due to that accursed disease. His sister's energies could keep him once he was done with her, but for how long?

Right now, he knew that he should focus on conserving his last remaining strength, on his survival tactic…

…

But strangely enough, she had bewitched him, mind and body and the only thought running through his frenzied mind at this moment was of his concentrated desire to be with her.

In every sense of the word; and this, here, was the only way to make such a fancy possible.

How had she done this…was this trickery of her own?

'_Restraint'_ he begged himself to remember.

But when he heard her breathless whisper of his name, he knew then, that all restraint could meet him in hell.

…

His fingers met hers on their path along his face. He drew them to his lips, tasting her skin.

She gasped, and her body stiffened, but she didn't move away.

With a groan, Phobos swept her onto his lap. His arousal pressed against her thigh. She jerked at the sensation, pushing her arms against his chest; her own feeble attempts at self preservation.

He laughed; an abnormal sound. And then pulled her face towards him; bonding them with a kiss.

The tip of his tongue slid inside of her, causing an awakening of sensations in her chest. She moaned with the feelings, and opened her mouth to him, she was quite unable to resist. Her fears, for the moment at least were pushed aside.

…

"Have you ever been with a man before?" his husky tone interrupted her train of thought.

She shook her head, not fully understanding what he meant, she just knew that she wanted more than anything for him to continue.

There was a moment of silence, in which she wondered if perhaps she had done something wrong. But when she bent her head, he kissed her once again, deeper and more passionate than before.

"Don't be afraid" he whispered against her neck, "I _promise _not to hurt you"

…

He moved downwards with soft, brief kisses. They sought the skin along her collarbone, and it was there he that rested, his lips burning against her fiery skin.

She threw her head back, whimpering. Still he journeyed lower. He paused again to attack the clasps of her bra. It was only then she realized that her camisole had long been removed. The wind touched her naked flesh, cooling her, if only for a moment.

His mouth was on her again. Evoking more cries of yearning. His arm encircled her, pulling her closing to him, until their chests came together.

Even this contact wasn't enough to cure the heated commotions now ravishing his body. He still wanted more. It was just as he had feared. He was hers, _she_ controlled _him_, and she was completely ignorant of her power.

In a fluid motion, he had placed her beneath him. His mouth once again on hers. He moved now to remove the final barrier of cloth. He threw it aside, and paused to admire her nakedness.

The girl cried out in dismay at the subtraction of his lips, she wanted for him to carry on…whatever it was that he was doing.

He kissed her face, brushing his lips past her eyelids; meanwhile his legs parted her thighs and he settled there.

She gasped, and her body rose, on its own accord to meet his.

He entered her then, seamlessly, as quickly as he could. She screamed with the feeling, drowning out his moans of pleasure.

He had never been with a virgin before, and was dreadfully unaware on how to quell the pain she was now enduring.

He took her lips again, by way of apology. He tried to calm her; he couldn't endure much more of her thrashing.

Soon she had quieted, her discomfort already faded; her body had endured his assault.

He moved within her, slowly at first, but then faster as he found a rhythm. He took her to a place, showed her all of its secrets, and then joined her there.

…

…

It was over now.

He still hadn't released his grip on her, occasionally whispering into her neck. She felt…safe, there with him, in his bed, wrapped in this cocoon of flesh. She knew it was only an illusion, only a dream, but still…

_Yan Lin had warned her of this…of him—_

"Stay with me" he was looking down at her, with some unreadable emotion masking his eyes.

"Here—but this isn't real" she almost laughed as she had said it, he couldn't be serious.

"We wouldn't have to wake…we could stay here…forever" he dipped his head to kiss her.

"I can't" she moved beneath him, the cage of safety now gone…she knew she must escape.

"Why not?" all sense of caring had left these words, and his face.

"I don't belong here…I have to go back…to my family…my friends"

"Why do you insist on returning to them…they don't care about you, not like I do…I could learn to love you"

"Don't say that" she removed her eyes from his powerful gaze, and desperately tried to blend in with the darkness.

"It's the truth…all they care about is that crystal, and you know it, I can sense that"

"Stop it" her voice was supposed to sound bold, but she knew it only came out frail.

"Please" he whispered. His fingers brushed along her face once more. "Please"

"Oh God, Phobos…the sun would rise on this world before you and I could ever be together" she felt the tears start to fall from her eyes.

"Just let me go"

He didn't respond.

_Success_, after all didn't require a response.

…

…

"Will, get up honey, its time for school"

Enough light crept into her eyes for her to seek the blurred image of her mother leaving her room.

_He had let her go._

A thought that made her feel worse inside, if it were possible. She couldn't be feeling these things for him.

He was evil, demented. But still, last night…

_Last night had been a dream._ She reminded herself. _Nothing more, no matter how much you wanted it to be._

She made the daily trudge over to her bathroom, pausing to check her appearance--horrible, per usual.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught something, a mark, was it? No, it was a bruise… along her collar bone.

Oh God.

How could that be?

Unless…

Unless.

…

…

It has always proved to be an extraordinary fact to me; and indeed it should be one for all of you as well; exactly how a single person can endure event so significant in their life's path, while everyone and everything else in their life can remain completely unchanged.

…

Will found herself wondering just that as she sat, silently among her friends. She was wholly immersed in her thoughts of the night before; and completely oblivious to the chatter that was around her.

Her entire body was sore…but from what? Her lip throbbed and felt swollen—could that be from _him_? Wasn't it just a dream?

_Of course it had been_. She couldn't have left her room last night, she hadn't done all those things with him…she _couldn't_ have.

But the marks, the scars that now littered her body, told her differently. They wrote a tale of ardor and longing along her back. Her own memories of last night were quickly fleeing although she wanted so much to forever cling to them.

It was such an unusual situation…she couldn't go ask _him_ anything of these events. And she most defiantly couldn't tell Yan Lin. So inadvertently, she was forced to stay uninformed.

…

"Will, are you there?" the voice shattered her concentration. Her eyes readjusted to take in those sitting around her.

"Yeah…I was just—thinking"

"Don't try to hard Billy" Irma's light tone was instantly recognizable.

"You've been zoning out a lot lately" Taranee put in. "Are you sure you're okay?"

'_They seem to be in fussing mode today'_ Will noted grimly.

"Well I'm glad to see you're _so_ concerned for Elyon's safety, seeing as it was _your _"Cornelia's sarcastic brogue made its appearance.

"Get over it Cornelia" Irma quipped.

Silence followed, it often seemed to as of late.

"Well" Taranee cleared her throat "We decided Will--well Caleb thought that it would be best if you sat out tonight's mission"

"Did he" her voice sounded dead in her ears.

"Can you blame him Will, you've been collapsing everywhere…we're scared" a spongy voice, that could only come from Hay Lin replied.

An anger rose in her chest, threatening to spill out into the air, but she managed to keep it grounded with a smile.

"Stay home, and get some rest—you've been stressing yourself out way too much" Irma seemed pleased with Will's silent reaction.

"Besides Will, you've got that crystal to think about" Cornelia was never one to keep silent.

"What?"

"The heart" she rolled her eyes "If you passed out, and Phobos got you, can't you imagine what he could do?"

"You've got to keep the heart safe Will, remember that—"Taranee stopped when Will stood up.

"I'm going home, call me later…when you _need_ me…you know to shut the portal" it came out much drier than she had wanted it to. She turned and left in any case, without apology.

"What's _her_ problem?" Cornelia called from behind her.

…..

…..

She wanted to be sick. Sour sensations soared through her chest, annoying her to no end.

She tried to ignore it. She tried to remind herself that she should be good at that by now.

How _dare_ they tell her what to do? How could they ever think that they understood anything--

_Cornelia's_ last words echoed along her veins. The crystal, _of course_. Protect _that_.

…..

…

Oh God, _why_ didn't _she_ ever shut up?

Everything always had to be Will's fault, of course it was always Will's fault, no one ever questioned that.

Will wasn't allowed to make mistakes, but everyone else could.

She wished that they would all go to hell.

…

…

**Defy**: to renounce faith in; challenge; **rebel**: to oppose or disobey one in authority or control.

…

…

"Will _what_ are you doing here?" Taranee's voice sounded more frustrated than anything else.

"Well, to be honest I went home and tried to get some rest, I really did, but me and the heart, we decided that we're fine and we just wouldn't be able to forgive ourselves if we missed this—we got a blood test and everything…well I did, the crystal…well see it doesn't have any blood"

Sarcasm was evident on every word, but Irma was the only on who seemed to catch onto it, the others just stared at her with the same faraway expression as she was accustomed.

…

Was it pride that led her to this?

Perhaps. She knew she that protecting her friends hadn't been the first thing on her mind when she had stormed out of her apartment.

In fact now standing there in front of her _acquaintances_ she almost wished that she would collapse and the Prince would swoop down from the heavens to take her away. If only it was just to piss them off.

…

They didn't fight her decision anymore. She almost wished they would.

Cornelia muttered something to Caleb when he met up with them. And Hay Lin kept sneaking glances at her from the sides of her eyes, but other than that there was nothing to show that they hadn't all reverted back to the _'ignore her'_ method.

…

The portal opened with a sickening rip. The buzzing sound drilled into their minds, and one by one they walked through.

"What do you think you're doing?" Caleb held her back when they were the only two left "I told you—"

"_Taranee_ told me to stay home, and well I can't say that I feel much like watching TV today…so if you'll excuse me Caleb"

He didn't release his hold on her. "Do you think this a joke?"

"What?"

"Do you think that if Phobos gets the heart everything will be fine, that he won't use it…Will how you can be so…"

"So what?" the smile had vanished, and the anger freed itself. "Say it Caleb, so what…so stubborn, so _stupid_, go on, say it"

"Will I wasn't going to say—"

"No, of course you weren't—here's a question though Caleb, since you _obviously_ know _so_ much more than I do on such things, what will happen to _me_ when Phobos gets the heart, you see _I'm_ confused since no one _ever_ seems to tell me that part, I guess they don't know…" she broke off and then added what had been festering in her mind for almost a year "Or maybe they don't care"

He didn't answer right away "Is that what you think"

"Forget it Caleb" Now the anger had subsided she found herself feeling very embarrassed at the outburst. "I don't think"

She loosened herself from his clutches and followed the others through the portal, ignoring the stomach turning sensations that washed over her when she did.

She didn't detect if he followed, because the moment she stepped onto the soil, all her attention followed the gaze of her friends.

"The sky" she whispered.

"It can't be…this isn't possible…I don't understand" Taranee fumbled to explain it to herself.

"I thought Caleb said that it was always night here" Hay Lin looked around for an explanation.

…

The sun's bright rays coated the orange sky. Purples and blues, the hues of morning, danced with their eternal promise of a new sunrise. Across the landscape people stopped and stared, just as they were doing, no one had any sort of an explanation.

…

"It's magic…it has to be" Caleb had joined them.

"But whose magic is it…Elyon's?" Irma questioned.

"Maybe" someone continued. And the conversation dragged on. Will was glad that they didn't expect her to contribute. Her eyes still hadn't left the scene. She knew extremely well who had done this.

Her words from the night before rang clearly in her mind.

_The sun would rise on this world before you and I could ever be together._

It hadn't been a dream.

…

…

**Author:** Since no one understands my work of art (not even myself). I'm redoing it, in a clearer format, so that you guys can pick on what's happening. Yes, Will is VERY evil in my story. Perhaps more confused than evil, but still, she's not our good girl. You may need to re-read the entire thing…sorry about that, but I got some really cool ideas here and there and it would have been a sin to leave them unwritten.

**Disclaimer:** I disclaim.

**Dedicated:** To all my lovely readers, whom I know won't flame me because of my editing spree. :P.


	2. Chapter 2

**Tears I Cry**

**By Seniya**

_Children are always the first to suffer_

Chapter Two

…

There was yet another failure in the plot to retrieve Elyon. The sunlight made stealth an issue to put it lightly and Caleb suggested that they try again tomorrow.

For the first time in months she actually anticipated what her slumber held for her. If it were only here she could be with him, then she would gladly wait for him to come to her.

She would soon be in the presence of him, her lover. The thought of him holding her, kissing her, made her heart leap with an almost child like excitement.

…

He did not disappoint. She soon found herself in the same dark room, the constant moon still watching her with indifference.

This time she bounded over to the bed, finding him lying there, and she flung herself upon him, she sought and found his lips at once.

It was not a gentle kiss, it was a rough one, and it surprised her that she had such zeal within her. It was a kiss a woman would give a man who was going off to his death, a long, lingering one.

"Thank you" she gasped finally.

"For what?" his face showed no reaction to her obvious display of affection, though his eyes shone with great interest.

"The sun…it was you—wasn't it?"

He grinned at her finally, and then it seemed as though the layer of ice had finally melted.

"You saw that?"

"They all saw it…" she traced his face with her hands taking in every detail. "Oh God Phobos…I don't want to go back…I want to stay here with you"

"Why the change of mind?" he wrapped his fingers around hers.

"You were right—they don't…they can't understand me" she bowed her head until she could smell his warm scent. "And I think I love you"

It was a lie of course. No one of spite, but one of youth…she didn't know what love was. Love for her mother…for herself…she wasn't sure.

All she knew was that she had never felt this strongly for anyone before, and she would hate for it to disappear.

He didn't answer her, she hunted for a reply within his eyes, but they too seem locked.

"You can't" he breathed at last.

"Why not?" she pulled herself up so that she was straddling him, "Why can't I?"

"I want you to…_believe_ me I do—I just—I don't have the power to…not anymore"

"I don't understand" she could feel her throat tightening, this couldn't be happening, there had to be a way.

"You said it yourself, _the sun_" he smiled weakly, and added a laugh for good measure. But he knew there wasn't anything funny.

"Then I can come to Meridian with you…in the castle" the tears flowed freely now, she hated for him to see her like this.

"It wouldn't make a difference, your friends would find you and we can't…"

"Please Phobos" she was frantic now, desperate, "There has to be a way"

He held her face in his hands, hating the way her sobs still made him feel. "Don't cry…I think there might be a way…but—"

"But what…"

"You would have to sacrifice a great deal for it to work" he spoke slowly, softly, as though he were concentrating on not scaring her.

"What?" her answer surprised him, and caused an explosion of…_happiness_ was it…in his chest.

"The crystal" her face fell when he said it, and slowly the realization dawned on her.

"Is _that_ what this is about…you want that too"

"No, just listen to me…"

"You said all those things about _them_, and you're just the same!" she moved to climb off of him, but he held her.

"Let me go!"

"You asked me how we could fix this and I've told you"

"You're lying to me"

"The heart of Kandrakar can do many things, perhaps it can even restore my powers, I don't want the crystal…I don't care about that, not any more…I want us to be _together_—that's all"

He glared into her eyes trying to force her to believe his words. She shook her head and laughed.

"How?"

…

"It's a very ancient spell, if the Oracles found out about you doing this, you'd be destroyed" Phobos allowed her the gift of movement once more, although after his dire warning, he merely smiled at her.

She understood. He was challenging her.

She returned the smile, and instead of a retort; her eyelids fluttered shut, as she leaned forwards to taste her lover's mouth once more.

He groaned at the simple ecstasy of her kiss. This wasn't what he required now; he needed to complete his preparations, for time was not his to keep.

He could already feel his tenacity melting, his focus was slipping. And when she opened her lips to him, his desire for her became almost painful to resist.

It was a miracle that he managed to pull away from her exhilarating embrace.

"There will be time for that later _love_;" she bit her lip and nodded, another pang of guilt flowed through him at the sight of that untainted belief drawn across her face.

"I need you to put your hands here" he tentatively moved her porcelain hands across his chest, resting them above his heart.

"Do you have the crystal?"

She nodded, and shifted her position above him to reach for it.

His heartbeat increased at the sight of the moonlight reflecting off the surface. Surely it couldn't be _this_ easy.

He directed her to place the heart over the same position on his body. She obeyed without question. At another time, he might have wondered why.

But for now he was too grateful.

And he coaxed her through the difficult spell.

"…_mortir_" he finished, and then waited for the feminine echo, which soon followed.

…

…

…

Pain shot through him like a thousand white hot needles. He could feel his muscles twinge, his heart shuddering within the chambers of his body.

Lights blurred her face from his eyes, and dulled her screams of panic from his ears.

…

Everything felt so unfamiliar, he could see himself, standing among a group of girls, they were all laughing, but he could not share their humor.

He watched as his dark haired mother screamed into…a device, at a person he knew must be his father.

As a boy neared his face, he felt his knees weaken, his eyes clamped shut as he allowed them to make harmless, though intimate contact.

More girls this time, screaming at him, blaming him for something…he didn't understand—he felt the emotions well up within his chest, and then disappear.

A girl, taller than he was stood before him, screaming, he couldn't appreciate why. But still an anger, hatred almost, burned through his body. Stop talking, he commanded. He wished that she would shut up, he would make her stop…he could, couldn't he?

He saw himself, staring into his own face, kissing his own lips, as pleasure surged through his body…

And then—it was over.

…

…

He reopened his eyes, to find himself covered in sweat. _No_, she had stopped it. It wasn't supposed to be finished yet.

"Why…" he breathed "Why did you stop?"

"You were screaming" she looked as though she was on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry…I just thought that something terrible was going to happen…I"

He gulped, and he could feel a tension seize his body. "Don't…cry" his fingers brushed away the forlorn tears.

They traced a line along her neck, past the scars that were the evidence of their previous encounter.

"It's all right…" he readjusted himself so that he was now sitting up with her on his lap.

"Don't worry…I don't want you to worry" his eyes scanned over her face, he hated the look of despair he had seen there, he knew he needed it to withdraw.

What were these feelings?

Where had they come from?

Oh God.

He was helpless.

…

…

She angled her face towards his for another kiss, and he obliged her, savoring the glide of her parting lips and the moans he had created from her throat.

"Do you love me?" she whispered, her eyes glared into his for an answer.

How could he refuse her?

"In the same way that you love me"

She smiled, and knitted her fingers in the jungle of blonde hair.

"Then, promise me, that you won't hurt them…my friends, if they come looking for me"

A vision of a haunting blonde girl flashed into his memory.

"Don't you trust me?"

She lowered her mouth to his neck, where she proceeded to recreate the markings on her own skin.

"I love you" she murmured.

And he didn't even have a single thought of resisting her.

…

…

…

From her throne in the sky above, lady moon watched those unfortunate enough to tread on the earth beneath her. The pitiful humans; who day after horrid day continued on with their monotonous lives…never tiring in the fact that nothing ever seemed to change. But tonight, perhaps, she thought, tonight would be different; for the evening winds had brought with them a taste of excitement, the flavor of blood.

The moon through all her vanity was a soulless creature, not caring for anyone but herself, conceivably she had quite a lot more in common with those humans she despised so much.

…

The winds were mysteriously livid that night; they carried with them the familiar feelings of woe and anxiousness, spreading them around the group as they would a plague.

Above them towered the castle, eerie and powerful, it had thwarted their previous plans, and now it was prepared to do so again.

…

Not a word passed between the girls; possibly they were all too frightened or too engrossed in their own thoughts to offer any words of optimism to the others, whatever the reason, they all agreed…there was nothing to say.

Will turned to face the others, the mask of bravery that layered her face showed no signs of faltering, however if one could see her heart, you would believe otherwise. Instructions were spoken, all was understood; there was no turning back now, this would be finished tonight.

…

It had only been a few minutes into battle before they knew they had been defeated. Phobos' men were too many; they came pouring out of the castle's mouth like a never ending black flood.

Outnumbered and overpowered, they were damned. Retreat, nevertheless, was still not an option, better to die fighting than to live a coward.

Will stood in the midst of it all, completely disorientated…_where were the others?_ She wondered…if she could find them then maybe…

She still didn't trust him.

…

Another man fell beside her, how many had died now, she didn't know, his tattered armor was covered in blood; she couldn't tell whose side he had belonged to.

Another surge of energy passed through her body, those it struck, fell, helpless. She couldn't even feel remorse any more, in her eyes; they deserved a fate much worse than death.

…

"_Will!"_

Somewhere, though far off, she heard a voice calling her, she responded, and then it grew silent…everything did.

It wasn't hard to determine why.

…

_Cornelia_… her golden hair tangled…her once graceful limbs awry, hovered above them. She moved like a broken doll would, clumsily, she was being drawn towards something…someone.

He stood above them all, dominant, menacing, his eyes laughed with a humor no one else shared. He grasped the girl around her neck, she didn't cry out, he smiled with his victory…she was dead.

…

Her chest tightened and her breathing became ragged, though no tears came…there were none left to shed for her.

_That liar!_

Not considering her emotions, Will prepared herself, and prayed that the others did the same, they would win this, at the very least tonight Phobos would see his first sunset in hell.

Cornelia's death would not have been in vain.

…

Elyon reached him first, panic struck and filled with an ominous heartache; she attacked, her arms flailing wildly, accomplishing nothing.

Soon she too fell, her limp body entangling with her friend's; her powers transferred to her sibling.

The night wind howled their fury and then soon they were silenced, even they understood what had just ensued.

…

Around Will grew a panic, from both sides of the combat, the deaths of one of the guardians and the princess terrified most, the urge to fight had been taken with the breeze.

His laughter echoed around her, consuming her, trapping her in its clutches. Sadistic, repulsive, she couldn't describe him. Instinct alone guided her in the search for her friends, but the force of those retreating pressed against her body, and was pulling her along with _them_.

His laughter grew louder in her ears, she had to find them, _somehow_…the laughter stopped, so did the rush of people…he had seen her, and now, she too was being drawn towards him. She screamed and thrashed, trying to stop his will, but her efforts were in vain, she was alone…she was powerless to stop him.

He was too strong, and his hold on her, was too great.

For a moment their eyes met, and a sickening smile played across his features. He pressed his body against hers, and played with the redness of her hair. Slowly, seductively as only he could, he whispered in a voice that made her skin crawl.

"_Thank you"_

…

…

Outside the moon cackled with an untold delight. Oh I can't describe how thrilled she was, after watching all those petty humans suffer. And it still wasn't finished! Oh no, after watching humans all of these years she had discovered one thing—they had the awful habit of dwelling on their pasts. They would dredge up things and mourn for them for what seemed like years to her.

**Foolish**; the lot of them, they were absolutely ridiculous.

…

…

"You lied to me!" she screamed at him, thrashing in his grasp.

He looked at her, but didn't answer.

"You _promised_ me that they would be safe, and you _killed_ her!"

She seemed on the verge of tears, though none came. "I hate you!" she finished.

He managed to ignore the absolute pain that had surged through him at her harsh words.

He threw her onto the bed. She noticed, from behind her tear laden eyes, that this was the same room that he had taken her before in his dreams, _his_ room.

"Stop crying, it won't bring her back" he was pleased at his attempt at sadism.

How could he be so calm? There wasn't a symptom of remorse on his face. In fact as he stood there smiling at her, he seemed almost…_festive_.

…

She clamored off of the bed, walking over to him, angrier than she had ever been.

"I hate you" she said again, although this time it was half choked with sobs.

She extended her hand, feeling the energy drain from her body and congregate in her limb.

"What…are you going to kill me without telling me your name?" he smirked at her.

"My name won't serve you any purpose in hell" she released the energy; the force of it threw her off her feet. She fell hard, on the cold stone floor.

But he didn't join her. She watched, in a truly bewildered state as her blast was deflected, journeying instead, through the castle wall.

Why was she surprised…Elyon.

…

"Now, will you be a good girl" he was smirking again. And once more she screamed at him. He was on her in a moment.

He drew her up to meet him, pressing his lips against hers in one swift, hard movement.

She floundered beneath his grasp. But he wouldn't release her. Her heart crumbled in her chest, and fused with her tears, and they both poured from her face.

He pulled away soon after, halting the kiss. He released her as if she was deadly, allowing her to once again slump to the ground.

He stared at her again, for another long moment, as if her being there was an absolute revelation. Then, he wiped his face, and stomped away.

Leaving her to dwell in her own miseries.

…

…

_Cornelia rose from beneath the layers of smoke, she was perfumed with the smell of death; of decay; her blue eyes scanned the scenery, seeking—her._

_Finding her._

_A gasp escaped from Will's confined throat. Her face…her hair hung loosely from her stale scalp, her eyes bulged as though they would escape from her head._

"_You" she hissed. _

_Will staggered backwards._

"_This is your fault!"_

"_No…I—didn't"_

"_You killed me…was this for him Will…just get over it…he chose me, he wanted me"_

"_Stop it!" her hands clasped themselves firmly over her ears, trying to drown out her screeches._

"_He loved me…he could never love you; he only kissed you once Will, one time, it didn't mean anything"_

"_This wasn't about him, Cornelia…it was a mistake…"_

"_A mistake…my death was your mistake" she laughed, a sound that caused Will to want to retch. _

"_I'm sorry"_

"_No you're not…you wanted me dead, I'm not stupid Will…you were always such a selfish bitch" she moved closer._

"_No…"_

"_They all think that you're so perfect…but you're not…I see you for what you really are" chunks of her flawless skin detached themselves from her white bones._

_Will felt her own body changing, her hair growing longer, her limbs growing taller._

"_Stop trying to hide it" Cornelia hissed._

"_I'm not hiding" Will felt the energy move towards her hand once again._

"_I never did like you" she whispered, delighting in the way the remnants of Cornelia's face looked when the realization dawned._

"_And you're forgetting that Caleb kissed me first…it meant a lot" she released the jolt, watching in anticipation as it melted whatever was left of Corenlia's memory._

…

…

She must have fallen asleep. She awoke hours later to find an elderly woman staring at her. She was smiling, and when she spoke it was in a whisper of a voice.

"Come along now child, let's get you cleaned up"

She extended her bony hand.

Will looked at her, and the hand, confusion evident in her voice "For what?"

"Your _wedding_ dear"

…

…

He was _ill_, obviously. Though this time it wasn't the same officious sickness from before. This one was far worse…probably because he couldn't understand it.

He needed her. Oh Gods he needed her. The smell of her, the sight of her writhing below him in the pleasure that he had granted her—

How could he be expected to ignore it?

If he could only touch her…beg for her forgiveness. It hadn't been his intention to disobey her…but when he had seen _her_ below him, full of her arrogance and condescension…he couldn't stop himself.

…

This was ridiculous, him, all of this fuss, over this girl…

How had his plan become so twisted?

He needed to push these thoughts aside. He couldn't have her. He was still sick, he knew it. Any closer contact with her would endanger her as well.

He could be strong, he would have to be…

For himself.

For her…

He really did love her.

A marriage would prove this to her, and perhaps, in time, she would forgive him.

But what kind of relationship could that be…he wouldn't allow intimacy, even the fantasies he had indulged himself in, over the past few days were too precarious. He would just have to satisfy himself with his imaginings of her.

Though, he already knew that even they wouldn't be enough.

…

…

…

Tonight's tears had long vanished; not taking her sorrows with them. If anything, she now felt even worse than before; strange, since she wouldn't have known that it could have been possible.

The gaping hole in her heart seemed to have doubled in size since last night, and she knew that by tomorrow, she would have nothing left.

She hadn't dared to transform back into her human form. She needed to protect herself from him; that monster who had forced her into wedlock. Her stomach churned at the memory of their union.

She had been _dragged_ to the room, kicking and screaming, attacking those who tried to bound her, and still, it hadn't been enough, he had succeeded in humiliating her even further.

One look, that was all it took, and she had melted at his feet.

He had noticed his victory; and she was convinced that everyone else had seen it as well. And that knowledge, of course made her feel even smaller.

After that, he had pretended as if she wasn't there, looking at her only once to ensure she said her vows.

When it was finished, he moved away, dawdling only to whisper in a husky tone, about how much he anticipated the honeymoon.

Of course, that night he hadn't emerged.

And of course that night, she had waited for him.

…

How much time had passed since then?

She didn't know. Time seemed so unimportant. Hours trudged on; forming days, and then months...she had lost count awhile ago.

What she did know was that her days were almost as lonely as the nights. And she knew that the faces of her friends would probably haunt her dreams until her dying day.

She had tried to escape ages ago. After that; that bastard had placed guards by her door and charms on her window. She had attacked them once, but more had swamped her in an instant, and soon she had been overpowered and chained to her bed.

Why was he prolonging the inevitable? Why was he playing this game? He had gotten what he had wanted; she had transferred to him most of the crystal's powers.

So why was she here?

Why was she still _alive_?

…

The thought that Phobos might have some unspoken emotion reserved for her, had strolled through her thoughts on more than one occasion. She had dismissed it before it had gotten the chance to spread, he hated her, and she had recognized that.

He had played with her emotions and now she was suffering.

He was a heartless, cold beast.

Now, if she could only force her heart to believe those words.

Rancid emotions still soared in her chest at the thought of him. After all of this, and she still wanted him, she still loved him.

…

**Author:** Well, yes when Will transferred the hearts powers to Phobos, he was for a moment witness to her emotions and memories. Will wanted Cornelia dead; it's sick, I know, but if you've got to kill off one of the Guardians then why not start with her?


	3. Chapter 3

**Tears I Cry**

**By Seniya**

_Suffer not the little children to come onto me;_

_for such is the kingdom of heaven._

Chapter Three

…

Time is a peculiar master. It takes us, from birth; almost always unwilling in its grasp and then it forces us along on its travels.

During this journey of course; we age, grow wiser. We loose ours hopes and our families; memories are carried off with the winds.

And yet, time never stops. Not when we cry, not when we curse it.

It keeps moving, running it seems, from a master so terrible that it knows it can never escape it. And just like that, because time refuses to release us, we must elude this villain as well.

Death, of course is what I refer to. But is it as villainous as I say?

Some would scorn my words; for just as there are those people who fear death, there are just as many who crave it. They worship its magnificent power, and pray for the day when time will finally grow tired of their increasing weight and release them, allowing death's hand to close around their throats.

And it is for those chosen few that time pauses and occasionally---mourns.

…

…

…

His room was in the west wing. He had moved there to avoid the sunlight, it was a desperate maneuver, and one he wasn't proud of. Cowardice was not a word he would have liked to be associated with his reign.

By all means, he had a reputation to uphold.

The darkness wasn't comforting. It heightened his senses and reminded him of exactly how much he had to fear. Assassination was at the top of that list. And although success was unlikely, it would still be foolish to let his guard down.

He jolted at the realization of another in his presence.

"My King" said a hiss, which Phobos greeted, with his usual familiarity.

"Cedric, what news do you bring me?"

A grunt came from his friend and he slowly answered "It's the rebels, my lord; they are demanding the..._queen_"

His face tightened in response, and the blood suddenly sounded much louder in his ears. But when he spoke it was with a forced calm.

"After all of this time...they come in this light?"

The other man laughed shortly. "I didn't know that you knew of the sun in your chambers...I will say this of your trick; it has made life for the rebels...difficult"

"Well---have you not told them that the girl is dead?" Phobos turned to face the other, his gaze burning into his features; it would have made any lesser man quake.

"There are never many words between sides my King" a grim smile formed on his thin lips. "But they seem to _know_ that she is alive, they must be able to sense the crystal, somehow"

"I doubt that they can, if they could then why only come for her now" he replied, but still the news troubled him.

"Sire, perhaps, to avoid confusion, we should simply give them the girl, we have gotten what we wanted from her, and truly there is no real need for her now"

When Phobos didn't respond, Cedric continued.

"I do not think that you realize exactly how badly our forces were injured during our last fight...disease prospers within our ranks...it would be such a waste of man power if a battle were to come from this...and one will, I have heard rumors that another guardian is within their ranks; she will not stop until she has her leader back"

…

Words floated through the space, chilling those whose ears they reached. "Since when have _you_ cared about man power...tell them that she is dead; if they persist, slaughter them all, it should have been done years ago anyway"

Cedric nodded; his face grim. He hated to see his ruler like this...over a woman; no, a girl.

"My lord, if I may be so bold" he didn't wait for a reply, "Why keep the girl here, it is like I've said she serves no further use to us---she is pretty, yes but all _this_" he gestured towards the walls.

"All this because she pleases your eyes...that's all it can be, after all of this time I have seen that you have yet to enjoy her _company_" he finished with relish, allowing his last phrases to hang in the stagnant air.

Phobos moved closer to his confidant, when he spoke it was slowly, menacingly.

"She must be kept alive for my powers to function, if she dies then my strength will go with her; she's a tool Cedric, nothing more"

He had spoken so carefully that he almost believed himself.

He knew enough about spells to know that they could last long after death; especially in this case. But still he refused to hand the girl over, she was _his_.

His wife…even if they had no proof of it.

And no one would take her away from him.

He would make sure of that.

…

Yes. The girl was safer here; if she went to the rebels she might gain enough confidence to attack him. And she actually might _win_.

He sighed at Cedric's acceptance to the lie. Gods he wished it were all true, at least then he would have a reason for keeping her here, and a hope that he wasn't completely weak. But truthfully there was no reason, none that he would care to examine in any case.

A closer look might show him all that he feared, a fiery mass of emotions melting the ice of his heart.

"And in further conversations Cedric, you would do well not to question my decisions again"

"Yes sir" he hissed, glowering. "I shall prepare the men for battle" and he walked away.

Leaving Phobos once again alone in the darkness.

…

…

Inside another chamber, Will's mind had finally succumbed to the tiredness plaguing it. Her breathing slowed, while her mind ran. She could see them all, screaming, bleeding...dying. Their crimson coated hands reached towards her porcelain skin, praying for salvation. She could not--would not grant them that.

A smile crossed her face, freezing those already cold from the night air. Then she laughed, and in that moment she sounded so much like him...that it pleased her immensely.

Fantasy snapped soon after that, and she soon found herself drenched in sweat, confined by her sheets. The iron of her chains lay molten on the floor.

…

Sounds from outside drifted through her window. They mimicked the one's she had only just heard in her slumber...only now the overpowering clang of metal was there as well.

She flew to the window, using the wings she had forgotten she owned. Outside she could see the great mass of black, the weapons glinting in the retreating sunlight. Her eyes darted through the crowd, ending at a face she recognized.

"Taranee!" she yelled, the hysteria was obvious in her screams. The other girl heard; and she rose from her post immediately, darting upwards to hover in front of her leader. Relief was written all over her features. She looked...older, somehow.

"Will, oh my god...you're alive" she reached towards the space in the window, but recoiled as a jolt of electricity surged into her hands.

"Taranee...I couldn't see the others...where are they?"

"They're...gone Will...it's just us now...Caleb's here too, but the others are gone..." her voice trailed away, leaving a misty glaze in her dark eyes.

"How..." she voiced the bitterness in Taranee's face.

"There's no time" she had driven back the momentary stupor "We need you, my powers aren't as strong as they used to be, I can't do this alone anymore...we have to defeat Phobos, we need the crystal"

Will backed away from her as if stung. The happiness that she had just felt evaporated in an instant. What had made her believe things would be any different.

"How did you know I was alive?" she heard herself asking.

"What...Will, I sensed you...I guess--look there's no time for this...we have to leave!"

"No" tears began to rain from her eyes, clouding Taranee's face.

"What do you mean _no_..." She moved once to dodge an arrow, and then to fire a beam in reprisal. "Will did _he_ hurt you...are you scared..."

She shook her head, and then realizing that her bed was right behind her, she sat, smiling vaguely.

"He wasn't the one who hurt me" she finished simply, and then covered her face with her hands.

"Will...I don't understand...you need to come...use your powers to help me break the walls!"

"No!" she stood up, retrieving the crystal beneath her blouse. "I'm _not _leaving...at least here people don't _pretend_ that they give a damn about me!"

"Will...calm down...of course we care about you...look outside...we're doing all of this for you!" tears appeared behind the girl's glasses.

"No, you're not...I'm sick of this!" the crystal had begun to burn her hands, but she did not release it. "All you want is this...it's all anyone ever wants; I'm just second prize!"

"_Please_, Will" she moved again as another arrow darted past her, this time much closer than before.

"Just _go_ Taranee" she moved back to her bed.

"No Will...not without you, I can't..._please_"

"Then take it!" the heart left her scalded fingers, and made its way across the room with deadly accuracy. It seemed to pause in front of the barrier between the girls, but then it darted forward, and magic combined with a horrible light.

…

She didn't even get the chance to scream. The earth trembled, the winds screamed, the moon smiled, and the guardian of fire fell.

She landed in the mist of the fighting, and was swallowed up immediately by the shadows.

…

"Taranee!" Will screamed. The sound was not met with a response, only the mocking story of her echo.

"Oh God" she fell to her knees, knowing exactly what she had done. Suddenly, a low humming filled her ears; its melody was melancholy, like the lament of a dream.

The crystal moved towards her, slowly, stopping only when she could see her reflection in its surface. Her hair had grown well past her shoulders...how long had she been here?

The humming ceased, instead, a lone white light came from it, bathing everything around her in its glory.

Laughter filled her ears; it took a moment for her to realize that it was her own.

The amulet turned once again, this time moving away from her, it stopped in front of the destroyed wall. And then proceeded to speed forward, not ceasing, it finally stopped when it lay embedded deep within her chest.

Breaths would not come, she sputtered for a time, tasting blood. Afterwards she collapsed on the floor and knew no more.

…

Lights streamed past her defenses.

They crooned a song of remembrance, of happier times, with her mother, at _home_. These memories all seemed to belong to another person, in another life, from another world. The carefree child who had once cried after seeing her mother leave her at school on her first day.

The girl with pig tails who had screamed for her father to come back home, the sullen teenager who had once though she could save the world.

They were all gone. They had been stripped from her flesh, leaving this heartless viper in their wake. She had killed. In cold blood she had butchered her best friend. And then she had laughed.

Remorse would not come. The only sensation that filled her broken soul was hatred, rage at this world, at any god who would have allowed her to be born. She craved death, deliverance from this horrible existence.

But it would not come.

…

It took her even more precious seconds to notice that she was no longer in the palace. This place was made completely of glass. She could make out her distorted reflection in the walls.

She whispered to herself...it was prayer her grandmother had muttered the night her husband had died; it seemed fitting.

"Those words will not help you here child" a figure appeared cloaked in a pallid robe.

"Who are you?" Will made herself stand, finding that her limbs felt strangely weighted.

"My name is of no concern Williamina---oh yes, I know who you are" his voice was like a whisper, soothing and soft.

"How..." she was cut short by the wave of this person's hand. Slowly, with feline like precision, the hood was removed revealing a child's cherubic face.

Her voice caught in her throat, though she managed to ward off the disgusted reaction slicing through her.

"Where am I?" she sounded braver than she felt.

"No more questions, you weren't brought here to ask these things"

"Why then?"

"No more questions" his voice was far too deep for a child's. It froze her to the bone. "All will be revealed in time".

She nodded, her hands made their way into her wild tangle of crimson hair.

"Do you have any idea what you have just done?"

"Yes...but it wasn't on purpose...I ---"

"It doesn't matter what you intended to do, the fact remains that you used the powers of Kandrakar to slay another guardian" his expressionless face showed a hint of displeasure.

"I..."

"No interruptions" he motioned again. "You cannot envision what you have done"

He did not wait for a response. "You have stained the purity of the heart, first by giving its power to that tyrant, and now, by murder"

She did not reply.

"That is why you have been brought here child...for penance; do not expect redemption, but perhaps we can _understand_ some of this"

…

"What was that?"

"It came from the east wing..."

"Where the queen is you mean?"

Footsteps sounded an erratic harmony throughout the castle. Women rushed forward, eager to see the cause of the explosion.

"My Gods" sounded the response as all eagerness was lost.

The room was destroyed. The oak bed lay in splinters, the walls were blackened as if a great fire had passed through, and the heavy scent of blood drifted over the room.

In the center of the room lay the queen. Her body twisted in an unnatural pose, hands mingled with legs. Her eyes were still open, glancing blindly at the ceiling, her sculpted lips parted, as though still trying to capture the air that eluded her.

"Call the King" said an elderly woman, pointing along the corridor. A hesitant looking brunette obeyed.

…

He could still hear the cries of the war waging outside. It had been going on for hours now he suspected. Cedric had been right, they _were_ determined.

But so was he.

Tonight, he had decided, he would go test the limits of his self control. He would go speak with her, for the first time in years. She would scream he imagined, and attack, then curse his very existence, and then finally she would scream some more.

This did not concern him; the hardest part would be keeping his visit _innocent_.

She had matured since the last time he'd seen her, her body would taunt him beyond his breaking point.

But he was still going, he would assure her of his concern for her plight, he would explain why she had to be kept locked away from him. Why he had bedded hundreds of concubines rather than touch her chaste flesh.

Why he had sent taunting messages to her if only to annoy her.

…

And maybe she would forgive him. It was dangerous, more for her than him. The curse had already taken root in his loins; it would kill him faster if it were to spread to her.

These worries were not even supposed to be his own. The plan had been so simple, befriend her as they had done with Elyon, and manipulate her so that she would come to their side.

It hadn't worked. She was far too stubborn for that---too devoted.

So he had played on her insecurities and youth. And he had succeeded. Or so he had thought.

It hadn't taken him long for him to realize the intoxicating effect she had on him. He wanted her, more than he could explain, more than he knew was safe.

She was all he thought of, all he saw. She haunted every moment of his life.

And he couldn't have her. He wouldn't harm her, not in that way. His father had killed his mother, because of his uncontrollable lust, but he would not be that _weak_.

Yes he would go; and they would talk.

She needed to know. He owed her that much.

…

"My King" a woman's voice interrupted his thoughts.

He turned to face her, making her gasp in fright.

"What is it?"

"It's...the queen, sire...she's..._dead_...my savior" she stammered.

And he was gone in a heartbeat.

…

He was ignorant of everything around him. From the cautious glares the maids gave him every few seconds to the chocking sensation dwelling in his throat.

"Who did this to her?" his voice didn't reveal the half of his anger, for if it had, no one would be standing in front of him now.

"We...just _found_ her sire...there was an explosion" squeaked one woman.

"Where were the blasted guards?" his self control was fading.

"They were in combat sir..._all_ of the men went"

Something moved in his stomach, but like all else, he ignored _it_ too.

"My lord" gasped one woman.

He made his way to the remnants of the wall, and looked out beneath him.

Hundreds of them, _insects_, stood there fighting, keeping all of this blasted noise.

…

She was dead, didn't they understand that?

He felt the energy swell in his arms and ignoring the feeble wails of those behind him he uttered "_Reffus ecifircas mortir_" and he watched them as they vanished.

The smell of charred flesh drifted towards the tower. Only that soothed his weary mind.

"Check her, for me, there is an orb in her possession, I want it"

And he left the sobbing women to do his bidding.

…

…

…

The pain in her chest had subsided, and along with it, the bleeding had stopped.

"The heart had lodged itself into your chest, it will not remove itself, and I don't advise you to try" he talked rapidly about various topics, all however linked to her immense stupidity.

He recessed only once to recite a story of another guardian, who had killed her teammate, _Narcissa_, or something along those lines. He hadn't elaborated on her fate.

"You will have the chance to plead your case to the Oracle, and then your judgment will be known"

He lead her into a large domed room, at the very center was a raised platform, where a sole metal chair stood. It looked sadly out of place there among the glass.

"Here is you panel" he gestured across the room, to which three figures stood crowded in a small corner.

"Taranee" a breath escaped her lips, happiness tried to run through her body, but to no avail.

She recognized the figures of Hay Lin and Irma surrounding her as well.

They said nothing, and for a long moment all four girls stood in silence staring at each other.

They had changed…all of them, Taranee's clothes were charred, and they hung scandalously from her strangely thin body. Next to her Hay Lin was soaked; droplets of water ran from the top of her raven colored head, to the end of the heavy metal ball she had chained to her foot.

Finally Irma; sweet Irma. Will half expected to see her eternal smile radiating from her adorable face. Instead, she watched in horror as Irma's head dangled obscenely on her chest. It was broken, Will realized.

Seeing them all in their pathetic states, it was unbearable. She was the cause of this…and of course, _him_.

"I am…" she was stopped by the Oracle's oversized hand.

Taranee, instead began to speak. "Why, Will, what possessed you to do this to us?"

"I didn't…" Will could feel tears begin to fall.

"Yes, you did, we know everything…how could you betray us?"

"I never wanted any of this to happen…"

"And for him Will?" It surprised Will that this anger was coming from Hay Lin. "We loved you…all of us"

"No…" she whispered.

"Selfishness, vanity, pride" the Oracle interrupted "It is amazing that you were chosen to keep the heart in the first place"

"Stop talking…all of you" Will could feel the rage building within her.

"You will not talk to me that way" the Oracle mentioned calmly. "Continue…"

"He doesn't love you Will, why can't you see that, he's only using you…"

"And you weren't?"

"No…Billy, we weren't" Irma's voice was merely a whisper.

_Billy_.

"I hate it when you call me that" she reminisced.

"I know you do"

…

She had been so stupid.

Her legs collapsed with her weight, and she fell to the glass floor sobbing, no real tears came, however, merely water, the true tears refused to leave their haven.

"I'm so sorry…I wish that I could…" she stopped.

She could hear it, voices; singing, whispering to her.

_And it is written in the books of Gabriel, that she shall conquer…_

Her eyes darted across the room, seeking the origin of the sounds. She couldn't find it.

"Your emotions are deadly, and pointless, I was always of the opinion than Yan Lin should have trained you, especially in that manner" he didn't seem to have heard the voice.

"You are forgiven child, for all your past transgressions, however let it be known, that on your return to that world that you are to avoid the presence of Phobos at all costs, I fear he has a greater hold on you than I fear you understand"

The voices had ceased.

"You're letting me go?"

"Yes, you cannot stay here, you are very much alive"

She nodded. She watched as her moved towards another corner and canted to an serration within the glass chamber.

"Thank you…everyone" she murmured.

…

She turned to leave, and then stopped.

"I have something to ask of you"

"Ask it"

"I have been having a dream for years, the same one; only now it's more vivid"

"Go on, what is this dream about" he leaned forward, running a bony hand along his pale face.

"It's of me, hurting others...killing them...and I enjoy it" she finished, wishing she hadn't asked of it at all. After what had happened to Taranee, and that dream with Cornelia, she was more afraid of the answer than before.

"You wish to know if it is a vision...well child I cannot tell you, your past, present and future are carved in stone---you cannot change them, and I will not be the one to read them. Sometimes we see moments of our present lives, or another life, but I wouldn't let the future concern you. Whatever will be, will be; besides the present is much more pressing"

He waved her away, offering a grimace like smile as comfort.

It was only when he had heard her footsteps vanish, did he let his worry show.

"After all that with Nerissa, it seems to begin with her"

He turned towards the others. "Come my children, I fear that we have much preparing to do"

…

"My lord" a woman's wavering voice could barely be heard over the pounding of blood in his ears.

"Did you find it?"

"No...my lord we didn't find it...it might have been destroyed in the explosion" she suggested timidly.

"Don't be stupid...that crystal can't be destroyed" his mind wandered before it was shaken back into reality.

"Sire...what she we do with the queen's body"

The unknown emotion crawled form his stomach once again; it forced itself inside of his chest. "Take her _away_...a burial is in order" his voice had lost its iciness.

It was something that the young woman hadn't failed to pick up on. For only a second he had almost appeared human. It passed as quickly as it had come.

"Yes my King" she muttered as she moved away.

…

…

The clouds scraped across the sky; they tickled the stars into laughing with their silent humor.

Darkness swamped them, trying to confine them to the dark carpet. But they refused, darting away, giggling, as if this were a game. They couldn't realize just how serious this 'game' was.

Her sobs shook her already battered frame. Her husband was dead. He had vanished before her very eyes; she didn't even know why.

And it wasn't as though she could ask the executioner. It would probably be the last thing she ever did, another flood of tears streamed past her rosy cheeks, the only sign of her youth.

She urged the horses on, silently praying to be rid of this morbid task as quickly as possible.

In the carriage she pulled, lay the hushed corpse of the queen herself. Attired in her satin wedding dress, ready to be discarded in the malicious earth; left to be forgotten.

She thought of the dead woman's luck, at least she _had_ a body. And a fresh swamp of tears formed at the thought.

Maybe had her thoughts not been so focused on the lost lover, she might have heard the sounds of approaching horses. And maybe, then she might have been able to stop all that was about to transpire.

Unlikely. But still there is always that maybe.

…

Flight is always a wonderful thing to experience, the feel of the wind as it rushes through your hair, whispering its secrets and suspending you in a moment of unparalleled pleasure. Even if it is just that, a moment, you can rest assured, that you never forget flying.

Her memory did not show Will her leaving this earth, but she definitely saw her return. She glided effortlessly over the towns, seeking her elusive physical form.

She was sensing rather than seeing, it called her nearer playing a song that was mute to all others. She found what she had been searching for, quickly enough; and then dived through sinew and muscle, to her familiar cavity.

…

…

Far above this, higher than you or I could ever imagine, stood the Oracle. Alone in his fragile home; his worries threatened to age him even further.

But with age comes wisdom, and with wisdom, comes a solution.

The girl's words had troubled him greatly, although they hadn't surprised him. He had known this day would come...had had been warned; and he had heeded the warnings.

Or at least he had tried.

After all had he not protected this world from Nerissa? From Greydon? From the Forsworn?

He was not to blame.

He had simply thought that there would be more time; to prepare.

And now for his procrastination, he was to suffer. It was already too late; the events were already placed into motion. The end was upon them all.

But, yet he had a plan. The was no way to stop what was written in the future, time never paused, but perhaps; perhaps there was a way to postpone these events.

The spirit had already found her body, reunited; her unconsciousness began to waver.

"Sleep, my child" he muttered, "You will rest"

And she settled back into her peacefulness.

…

"The carriage is coming from the castle Caleb...what do you think is inside it?" the taller man inquired from his steed.

"One way to find out" he motioned for him to follow.

They both should have considered themselves to be very lucky; it had been an amazing day. After years of wondering, the guardian of fire had finally sensed the keeper of the heart. She was alive, though trapped it seemed, by Phobos.

The plan was a simple one; keep the men distracted with the army while they went around the back of the castle and sought out the girl. And it might have worked.

If _he_ hadn't chosen to appear.

He had destroyed _both_ armies with a flick of his wrist.

It still sickened them to think how Phobos could be as ruthless as to destroy his own men. Cedric had been there; his most loyal servant. And now, he too was gone.

…

They rode on, pressing the horses as fast as they would go.

In a matter of minutes they had overtaken the carriage.

The woman at the helm screamed in surprise, she dropped the reins and fled into the forest.

"Should we go after her?" Aldarn questioned.

"What for, the trees won't attack her" answered the other.

Aldarn moved to follow his captain; gone were the days when Caleb would smile.

Not since Cornelia had died; and it had only worsened since the other girls had gone.

Hay Lin had been lost first, she had been driven to _madness_ over the loss of both Cornelia and Elyon; and Irma had followed; taking her own life one night; she had been found by Taranee herself, who had screamed for days at the heavens for an answer. She must have been lost now as well, as her ever soothing face had yet to resurface.

Now, his answers were always short. He spared no time for humor, always instead channeling his energies into finding a way to destroy their _blessed _King.

"Open it up" Caleb commanded.

The wood came off easily in his hands, revealing a space as dark as the night sky.

Aldarn, journeyed forwards, searching the darkness. "I don't think that there's anything here..."

"They wouldn't send an empty carriage out here---"

"Wait, I found something...a box" he groaned at the effort of moving the load, with one final grunt he managed to haul the construction onto the muddy ground.

It opened at once, and its contents spilled out into the open.

It wasn't what they had expected.

"Caleb...isn't that..."

He had removed himself from his horse before Aldarn could have finished. With bated breath he bent to examine the body. It was clothed in a thick white gown, wings just barely visible beneath the layers of cloth.

His fingers wandered over her skin, it was her. The change was evident in her face; but still he could tell, those red tresses were unmistakable.

"It's her" he repeated his discovery to his companion, who merely shook his head in sympathy.

"She's dead Caleb...that's a coffin, Phobos wasn't lying after all"

The smile which had been so close to breaking the tough surface submerged itself into the depths of his face.

"I'm sorry...I know how much you wanted to find her" Aldarn breathed. "We should at least carry her back to camp, we can give her a proper burial there...maybe next to the others"

What happened next was nothing short of a miracle. She stirred in his arms, whispering so that only he could hear; "Please, stay...don't leave me again"

"No she's alive"

"Caleb..."

"No, look, she's breathing...she's fine" he scooped her into his arms, blind to the intricate crown that fell from her hands. "Help me get her up here" he motioned to his horse.

Aldarn rushed forward to secure the girl. "We should hide this...you wouldn't want Phobos to know..."

"We'll send some one to do it when we get to the camp" he mounted the animal behind the slumped figure. "Right now she's more important than any of this"

Aldarn nodded, but still spared one uncertain glance at the wreckage before he followed his leader home.

…

…

…

**Author:** Yes, Irma and Hay Lin committed suicide, I thought that this would have a strong effect on all of you because, well basically, they're the two happiest ones. The heart makes Will do things that she probably wouldn't have done on her own. Soon kiddies she'll be hearing voices and all sorts of fun things.


	4. Chapter 4

**Tears I Cry**

**By Seniya**

_It is never too late to have a happy childhood_

Chapter Four

The hollow echo of the mournful rain purred futilely against the foggy window panes; they recited a song that had been chorused for centuries. Although never once heeded.

No one ever listened to the rain---certainly they all _heard_ it. Its arrival was seldom ever hard to ignore. But, they never regarded the lonely hum that it always brought along with it.

The sounds of drowning children, of lost days and shattered innocence.

But, of course, the rain never crooned very loudly.

…

It wasn't natural, certainly it wasn't _possible_.

_Four years_.

He had watched her sleep for four years.

And yet she still remained, silently urging the slumber on.

It was impossible, this entire situation could never be conceivable…right?

"Caleb…"

Momentarily his eyes darted towards her face, scanning her lips for any trace of movement. None were found; certainly none were ever to be found.

"Caleb" his name sounded again, only this time he realized that its origin lay outside this room. His own body however seemed unwilling to respond, and still his eyes refused to leave the seductive lure of her mouth.

The call of his name beckoned again until it finally ceased; as outside the cold rain fell.

…

Aldarn ventured inside the tent. His clothes were plastered onto his back from the rain.

"Caleb" he said again.

For the first time his friend took in his presence. His green eyes traveled over his appearance and then quickly returned to the comatose frame on the bed.

Aldarn felt the anger stirring in his veins. He ignored it. "Caleb…we need to talk"

"About what?"

"About her…" that got his attention.

"Did someone find out how to help her?"

"No" he paused, choosing his words very carefully "Caleb…we just had a meeting, and there are a lot of people who don't feel very safe with _her_ here"

"What do they mean…Taranee was here for years, and no one cared then"

"Caleb, don't you understand…this girl was with _Phobos_ for years, and he never did anything to her, and now she's been sleeping for four years…Caleb, why can't you see this?"

The brunette rose from his seat by her bed.

"I'm not blind, I can tell that something is wrong, but how can I figure out what, it isn't like I can go to Phobos and ask…"

"I'm just stating the obvious…these attacks from Phobos only came after she left"

"I realized that…" Caleb's eyes moved once again towards her small frame.

Aldarn caught his gaze. "Caleb, I know how that she was your friend once, but people change, who's to say that she isn't a completely different person now?"

"And who's to say that she isn't?"

Outside the rain thudded hard against the canvas of their temporary lodging.

"He killed _Cornelia_, his sister, _Taranee_, he's killing countless children, why not her?"

"Why are you being like this…?"

"Why am I…?" Aldarn trailed off. "I'm trying to protect these people, which is odd since that's supposed to be your job--all you do is stare at her…she isn't Cornelia, Caleb"

"I'm perfectly aware of who she is" his voice had suddenly become icy.

Silence entered through the fluttering drapes.

"What did you come in here to tell me to do?" Caleb shooed the discomfort, although some still remained.

"Get rid of her, give her back to Phobos…he obviously wants her"

"I can't believe you're telling me this" Caleb returned to his seat.

Aldarn, looked at his friend, the rage had long passed, though a strong sense of pity had replaced it.

His own gaze lingered on the face of the girl…there was something about her…there had to be, but what?

He turned to leave the make shift hospital, only to be hindered by the new sound of a woman's voice.

"Caleb…what are you doing here…"

…

…

…

From his castle in the skies above, the Oracle gazed at the scene below with increasing concern.

He allowed another fragmented breath to escape his lips, pausing to critique his altered appearance in the glass walls.

These four years had changed him. He had matured; a fairly alarming truth, since he was deemed as being ageless.

Something in this world was amiss.

Something _terrible_.

He turned to leave his accustomed post at the casement. He enthused towards his cellar, from what he had seen, things were not going as he had hoped.

She was awakening---the one thing she couldn't do.

This wasn't _possible_.

…

_When the cold moon rises on a blood rinsed sky;_

He needed to consult the others, perhaps they could help. His bare feet slapped the transparent floor, his untainted robe dragged behind him, awakening centuries of dust in the process.

_When innocence is stolen from the eyes of a child;_

Fragments of the infamous anecdote rumbled within the archives of his mind. How could he have been so foolish? How could he have convinced himself that _he_ could stop what had been foretold?

Pride; it was a disgusting human affliction, one he had condemned many for possessing, and still one he had acquired all along.

And now they would all suffer. Because of her.

_When a heart so pure merges with one so cold; _

Beneath him; in that dismal world, he could hear them. Screams, thousands of them.

They were never ending as of late; and he had grown habituated with hearing them. It still worried him of course, to hear the wails of a woman searching for her children, until finally her sobs ceased, and she found them at last, though never where she thought she would.

He was after all supposed to protect these humans. Protect them from _him_, from _her_…from _it_.

_When mothers scream 'til they are heard no more;_

And he had failed. He had failed them all.

The magnificent crystal doors opened to accept him. From across the walls he could again she his disturbing reflection, the wrinkled countenance seemed so unfamiliar.

"You are late Thor" the vibrations of the voices seemed to dance all around him.

"Time has no relevance here" he answered, though still certain to keep his head bowed and knees firmly planted on the floor.

"Perhaps not" they whispered again "But to those below…it means a great deal"

He was silent. Through the glass he could see the smoke, and he could imagine the scent of decay that it carried with it as it wafted towards him.

_As evil spawns from a broken savior_;

"You have been called here to plead the case of a Wiliamina Ester Vandom, born to a Susanna Ruth Cohn Vandom in the month of January, on the…"

The man stopped, it was obvious why. The sounds of howling children had now managed to infiltrate this crystal cage.

"Disgusting" the voices echoed in unison. "How could you have allowed this to happen…you should have killed her years ago"

"I would have" Thor whimpered. "But when I realized that it was her…it was too late"

"She came to you as a murderer!" they hissed.

"It was an accident" he stammered, "She didn't intend to… she repented what was I to do?"

"An accident…and you believed her, she and she alone controls that crystal, not the other way around, she killed two of her fellow guardians and you let her go, _with_ the heart, and what's more you kept this from us Thor"

"Two" he muttered.

"Yes _two_"

"You cannot be serious…she is only a child"

"Do not try to divert our attention from the topic at hand…the crystal should have been taken away"

"I couldn't" Thor's entire body perked at the thought. 'It isn't in my power, only you masters could have…"

"We cannot be blamed for your folly, _you never told us_"

He fell silent.

"I have erased _most_ of the girl's memories; she should have no recollections of what transpired with Phobos"

"It is too late now, in any case, the prophecy will come to pass" the echo of their voices faded.

"Maybe…not masters" he clung onto his next sentence for dear life.

"Why would that be Thor?"

"He, masters, has never touched _her_…she is still a maiden in the eyes of this court, and I have been studying these writings for moon rises along with the fallen guardians, for this prophecy to come to pass, they would have had to have been intimate…"

"How can that be—those dreams that he made the contact with her in…"

"Are only good for casting spells, it's an alternate dimension that Phobos had created, what he wanted to be real became real, and what he didn't, became a fantasy"

"But for how long will this last…we were informed that your first spell had failed, she is awakening, and how long will it be until he finds her?"

"Phobos suffers from a very destructive illness, he will be blind within months, and dead not long after that, truly the only reason he is still alive is because she allowed him to take some of the heart's power, had he taken all of it, as he had intended to do, we would have a far bigger crisis on our hands"

_Only then shalt this world be covered in fear; _

"This prophecy cannot be prevented Thor, if not with her, then someone else will come along, it is written, and _it_ will not allow her death, not since they have become one"

"The only reason she is wakening is the heart; _it_ does not have enough power within it to help my enchantment, since she had given most of it away to Phobos…" he paused to take in their faces "This means of course, that _it_ shouldn't then have enough power to keep her alive any longer"

"So, what you are saying…is that we, in our vulnerable states should descend from the heavens and smite her?"

"No my masters" for a moment Thor felt his ambition rising once again in his chest, 'I am saying that we should _allow_ her to smite herself"

"Forgive us if we do not understand this logic"

"It is simple my masters, and what is more, it is _human_" he made a motion to stand, and proceeded unhindered "Humans, and their _emotions_…we shall drive her to the edge of madness, we shall take away her will to live on this world any longer…and then, she shall remove herself from this world, and our hands will be left clean"

He finished ineptly, to silence; even the moans seemed to have stopped.

"Very good Thor, it would seem that you have redeemed yourself"

"It would seem…" his smile faded when in that moment the billows of smoke finally succeeded in coating the entire castle.

Thor stared at the walls, almost incredulous, as his aging reflection stared back.

_When evil shall evil reign on a throne of despair._

…

…

…

Although, to those in position of divine superiority, humans seem to be a pathetic lot of terrible untrustworthy leeches, who, if left to their own devices will eventually torture themselves into extinction.

Of course, when one is as condescending as such holiness; one tends to overlook the better traits within an individual. And what can be said in the defense of mortals is that they are persistent.

Constantly hoping, against all odds, so long as they have decided what will be their preferred choice of occurrences.

But of course, this can be viewed by the oracles as stubbornness, and it would be best not to encourage them on the topic of stubbornness.

…

…

He still couldn't believe it. She was awake…never mind that, she was _alive_.

Certainly he had stayed by her side unfailingly over the last four years, but he had never really thought that she would…

…

She had been awake for several long moments now; still he hadn't moved to alert any of the others…if he could spend only a few more moments alone with her.

"How did I get here" her voice was barely above a whisper. "The last thing that I remember is…"

She trailed off; flashes of memories passed before her eyes, none of them seemed to make any sense, none of them seemed to belong to her. She groaned with the frustration.

"Are you all right?" Caleb moved a hand towards her, but soon recoiled.

She smiled. "Since when do you care…did Cornelia finally let you off that leash?"

"You don't…you don't remember…"

Her smile faded. "Remember…what?"

"Cornelia is…Phobos murdered her"

Her reaction was eerily stoic.

"_When_?"

"Years ago…I think it's almost eight"

"Where was I?"

"You don't remember anything at all?"

She shook her head, ignoring the now vivid scenes of a decomposing Cornelia taunting her from within the mist.

"Stay here…I'll go get someone" and he hastened from within the tent.

'_You cannot hide dearest…it's your destiny, it's written in stone'. _

A chill tickled her spine; panic overtook her as she sought out the source of the voice. But she found none. There was no one here…she was alone.

"Who are you…" she whispered.

'_I am that I am'._

"Leave me alone" she drew her knees closer to her chest, and her hands over her ears, but regardless, the sound continued.

'_Why do you ignore me now, when I have always been here watching you' _it laughed

"Where are you?"

'_Where are you?'_

"Get out of my head!" she was answered with more laughter. "If you don't--I'll…"

'_You'll do what, blow your head off…I'm terrified really I am…don't make idle threats little one…go on then…I dare you to do it—if you can'_

She felt her resolution strengthen…slowly a trembling hand made its way to her forehead, the voices within coaxed it onward. Again, she felt the stir of energies meeting inside her arm, and then…

"Will…this is Juno…she's come to help"

Will's hand dropped limply to her side, instantly the voices contained by her mind had also stopped.

Her attention instead, went to the middle aged lady by Caleb's side. "Hello" she smiled dryly, though her eyes held an unspoken apprehension that Will couldn't ignore.

She moved towards her, and in true doctor like fashion proceeded to prod every inch of her that she could lay her hands on. Finally, satisfied, she remarked to Caleb, that she was in remarkable health, and that her only recommendation was that she be left to rest.

Caleb nodded, he was seemingly relieved, he mentioned something about memory loss, but the woman only brushed it away as temporary. She then quickly, and gratefully it seemed took the opportunity to exit the confines of the canvas.

…

After her departure, Caleb joined her on the bed.

"You should sleep" he mentioned, his emerald eyes scanned her features.

She felt suddenly self aware. Uncomfortably so. "Where are the others…I would like to see them…"

"They're not…them too Will, they're gone too"

This time, the reaction was different. "Did Phobos…" her voice broke.

"No…we can talk about this later…Juno said you should relax" again he moved his hands towards her face, although this time, he didn't recoil when he made contact with her face.

Something inside her stomach churned. She pulled away, encasing herself inside the multitude of blankets that surrounded her.

Caleb made a motion to leave.

'_Do you want to remember…I can tell you, I know everything, I'll tell you what you did'_

She saw herself, a younger version of herself, screaming at Caleb; Cornelia danced across her psyche, before she fell…dead. Taranee watched in horror as the final blast had come from Will's hand. She screamed as she too was struck down.

'_Yes…feel it…you like it don't you…you love it'_

"Caleb" Will called, not waiting for his reply. "Can you stay with me…until I fall asleep…please?"

He paused by the exit, but his hesitation only lasted for a second as soon he had reacquainted himself with her bedside.

"Phobos will be looking for you" he said moments later.

"Why?"

"We were hoping that you could tell us…never mind…it's probably the heart he's after"

Uncomfortable feelings inside her chest roared once more, though it was beyond her understanding as to why.

"Do you still have it—we…they couldn't find it…on you" he said awkwardly.

"No…I don't think so" a small lie she told herself, besides it was for the best.

He seemed to believe her.

"How long have I been here…Juno said I was asleep?"

"Four years almost" he traced a design on her bed coverings with his fingers.

"That's…"

"I know"

He allowed the silence to dominate for a time.

"I think we should change your name…it might help if no one here calls you Will…it isn't exactly common here"

She nodded; still enjoying the silence his company granted her abused mind.

"Wilfreda is a good one I think…we had a girl here called Wilfreda…but she didn't look anything like you…she had blonde hair, almost, like…"

He stopped, realizing that she had fallen asleep.

He decided he should leave, but as accustomed; he couldn't convince his stiff legs to move.

He continued to watch her, until he too succumb to his own tiredness, and fell into a slumber.

It was comical to her, exactly how people could expect her to be tired after she had been sleeping for all those years.

"Show me" she whispered to the darkness.

'_Of course child…I knew that you would ask'_

…

…

**Author:** I know…a prophecy how cliché. But I'll take refuge in the fact that it isn't about my main character becoming a princess for a long lost magical kingdom, or having to save the world by herself. (You writers know who you are…). Finally the voices, it's **_something_**…talking to her, that will be introduced in chapter 6, I believe.

Also, yes, the Oracles are the reason in the next chapter for why Will is so suicidal/depressed. They are trying in earnest to kill her off.

Will does feel remorse for her actions, and also self hatred as she can't understand why she did it. The heart is more evil than she is, and it's twisting her emotions a bit. Don't get me wrong; she's bad on her own, but like I said, it makes her do things (kill) that she wouldn't have done had she not had that in her possession.

What the Oracles do is exploit her feelings, so much that she doesn't crave life anymore. We'll get into this a bit later.


	5. Chapter 5

**Tears I Cry**

**By Seniya**

_We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark, _

_the real tragedy is a man who is afraid of the light._

Chapter Five

…

Two years had passed since that day, she had grown of course, she was taller now, older; she supposed that her face had changed as well, though she wasn't certain; she'd always made it a point to never pay any attention to her outward appearance.

The unruly tangle of detestable red hair now extended to her waist, she had never bothered to shorten it; Caleb had once told her he liked it long.

She knew why.

Life, as she knew it was slow, painfully so. One awoke, and then whiled away the next few hours until they could drift back into that comfortable slumber; it seemed now that everyone preferred their dreams to their reality.

She couldn't blame them.

Metamoor had never been restored since the battle, the earth itself was derelict, houses were in shambles; everywhere one turned they were reminded of pain, of death.

That's why Will chose to remain inside. She didn't need to be reminded of what she had done, her dreams gave her enough of that.

Her memories had long returned, and soon after that the constant bombardment of whispers in her mind had ceased.

She knew why…there was no longer any need to torture her once that knowledge had been given to her.

…

"You haven't eaten anything"

"I'm not hungry", He knew better than to argue, he had long realized that it was meaningless telling her exactly how pale, thin or sick she was becoming. She seemed to enjoy it actually, refusing to heed what she was doing to herself, or to him.

He knitted his fingers in her hair, painfully aware of the way she froze at his touch.

When he smoothed away the tangles, she wondered if in his mind the strands appeared longer, thinner…_blonder_.

She tugged her head away, returning her gaze to the miserable landscape; behind the overwhelming mountains she could see the last rays of sunlight which coated the sky.

He didn't leave; she wasn't surprised, as he never did.

……

They had been married for months now, not out of love, she had been convinced, but out of duty. They were the only two left. It had made sense at the time, it had seemed logical _then_.

She could still remember the ceremony, all the glares, the false smiles, the well wishes. All those people pretending that they didn't think that it was her fault that their families had burnt to death…

It was pathetic.

……

She couldn't understand Caleb. She would never pretend to, but he claimed to understand her…arrogant bastard.

She hated the way he looked at her, as if he knew, as if he could possibly know. He didn't hear the screams; he wasn't forced to relive the same sequence of ghastly events every night. He didn't have to watch his friends die over and over…

She hadn't even ever told herself all that lay in her mind, so how dare he think that he had the right.

……

She believed in some strange almost incestuous way he cared for her. At the very least, he loved what she reminded him of.

He would stare at until he grew weary, he would hold her in his arms, almost apologetic, and beg her to tell him what was wrong. She would burst into uncontrollable sobs, and he would hold her until she was done, and then he would resume his staring.

The pattern of events seemed to make him happy.

She hated him; of that much he was certain. Their relationship had been strained before, but now, it was almost unbearable. It was her fault, clearly, although it wasn't fair to blame her for any of this.

He remembered the overpowering feeling of hope that he had felt years ago when she had been found…alive. Following that came the anxious anticipation when she had lain, motionless for _four _years.

He imagined that it was during that time he had become enamored with her, the silent beauty of her face, and the tender curves of her body.

All of it, all of her filled him with an emotion so powerful that he knew he should fear it.

He didn't remember what he'd expected when she awoke, but he knew, it hadn't been this. In the day, she would look, for hours at nothing, unspeaking, unmoving; at night her screams kept him awake and her cries prevented him from ever finding out why.

She didn't want to be here, as her silence told him. But here, she was trapped; there hadn't been a portal in a decade, not since before the war.

And now the crystal had been lost…home to her probably seemed like a distant memory.

The sadistic part of it all was that he was relieved that she was confined here with him. She couldn't leave him.

He refused to imagine a world where she wasn't by his side, he loved her in such an intense way…but yet she refused him. They had never been intimate, the only time they had discussed she had responded in her dead, shell of a voice that what he wanted to take from her wasn't there. He knew he'd just have to be satisfied with that.

He fancied that he would just have to be satisfied with his dreams of her, and even they couldn't replace the reality.

…

…

"Will, where are you?"

His voice echoed tauntingly around him, through the darkness of the house, he struggled to make out any sign of a response. Then she appeared, her whiteness offered a strange contrast with the dimness of the room.

"I'm here" she called, her voice was barely above a whisper, when she noticed his gaze upon her, her eyes fell, and her hands awkwardly sought refuge in the shock of red hair.

Standing there between the door way; she took his breath away. The urge to taste her was so strong in that moment that he could barely suppress it. His blood burnt at the thought of her flesh pressed seductively against his own…he imagined her taste; sweet, untouched…God he needed her.

"Is something wrong?" the sound surprised him; it jolted his drifting thoughts back to reality.

"No, well, yes…some men from another camp, they've been captured by Phobos…a group of us are going to get them back"

For a moment, something emerged beneath the inexpressive façade, but only for an instant, for soon it had vanished, as though it had never been.

It was Caleb who continued, "Are you sure that you'll be alright when I'm gone?"

She offered him a smile as a retort; it was a lifeless, painful expression, one that never quite seemed to reach her eyes.

"Yes, Caleb, I'll be fine"

He went closer to her, drawn to her by some unnatural force, she stiffened when she realized, but he didn't stop…he just wanted to touch her, he needed something to remind him why he was doing all of this, he needed a reason to come back home…

"You're so small…promise me that you'll eat something"

"I don't want…" she stopped, "Alright, I promise…be careful" she finished ineptly.

In the moments after, she returned to the solace of her room; closing the door behind her.

And for awhile he stood outside the wood, listening as she sobbed, hysterically, wondering if perhaps those tears were being shed for him, unlikely, he concluded. But still, he remained; hanging onto the hope until from outside a shout summoned him to go.

…

The moon smiled to herself, happiness, a foreign emotion for her, coursed through her being for the first time in years.

_Pain_, she could feel it, it excited her in a way that she hadn't thought possible, not for years. She had long given up on the prayer that once again there would be such a blood bath as the one she had seen all those days ago, although the occasional fires and lynching did help.

But now, perhaps she had given up far too soon, yes, for now she could see, that the worse had yet to come.

…

She hadn't remembered falling asleep.

…

She awoke drenched in sweat, to screams, just like she always did. The odd thing about this time was that now the screams weren't her own.

All around her grew the flames, the heat from them devoured the surroundings, and outside the screams grew louder, more desperate.

The smoke wrapped its claws about Will, refusing to release her. The colors swirled in their mystifying pattern, the reds and the yellows, out of them both grew faces, familiar ones…why yes, she could just make out Cornelia. Her lovely tresses framed that perfect face.

A voice in her head told to her to run. To escape, that somewhere beneath the layers of hurt and resentment, that she really did want to live, to survive this. She didn't believe it, and in any case she declined to obey it.

Instead she fell; silently urging the flames on, the faces there grew bigger now, more plentiful. They began to call to her, "I'm coming" she answered. Now all she could do was to wait.

…

Fate however had a different plan prepared. The ground beneath her caved, and she could feel herself falling, hell must be her destination she decided, for she knew that after all she had done, there was the only place that would accept her.

The inferno around her vanished, replaced by an even more terrifying darkness, that was all she recalled, soon Cornelia's screams had lulled her off to sleep.

…

There was light here now, in this place, it wasn't soft and reassuring as she had hoped, but it was harsh and cold, much like she was accustomed.

Shit.

She wasn't dead. That damned crystal, she knew, _why didn't it let her go?_

Towering above her was a woman; her features remained unclear despite the daylight, though her clean, earthy scent was lucid. She dragged an aged hand through her hair, purring a song within her.

For once she didn't mind it; she reminded her of something that she had tried for so long to hang onto, her mother. She felt safe, protected and wanted. She prayed it would last forever, but God never answered _her_ prayers.

"Get out now, the lot of you, we're here" the voice came from outside, and for the first time, Will realized that they had been moving.

The hand evacuated her locks, and turned to shaking her shoulder. "Wake up now dear, it's time to go"

Slowly, grudgingly she arose, allowing the mass of red hair to dance along her body. "Where are we…" she asked. Her eyes toured around the carriage.

The woman didn't answer, her eyes focused, hard on her face. "You're…" the woman began, but soon stopped. Her hands dropped to her side, the lines on her sun burnt face tightened. "We are at the castle now" she answered, all signs of warmth gone.

Around her she heard the whispers, and felt the stares. She knew her face must be growing hot.

The man outside called again "Hurry up!" he shouted.

…

The sun was just beginning its daily race across the sky. The hues of dawn peered out from behind the clouds that tried, in vain to conceal them.

Above her stood the castle, even in the day it was frightening. For Will it was worse, for inside lay all of her greatest fears, combined in one man, who she knew lay there waiting.

Running was useless, she thought about attacking, but she knew she couldn't, it would only be a matter of time before he realized who she was, and then…

Will returned her gaze to the same grey haired woman from before. "Why have they brought us here?" She indicated to the women that stood around her.

"You mean you don't know?"

She shook her head. The woman answered "All the men have been killed, it was a trap…King Phobos, he did it" the woman's voice broke for a moment, and her eyes sparkled with stubborn tears.

"His men killed the children in our village, they burnt it to the ground, and then they took the women".

Her words hung in the morning air, heavy, they refused to fall. "All of the men" Will began, that meant that Caleb was…

Oh God.

She felt, something grow within her, grief, was it? She couldn't tell. She didn't understand these emotions anymore. But she knew that she hadn't wanted Caleb dead.

She _missed_ him.

"Let's go" the man called again, indicating towards the entrance of the building.

Tears started to fall, uncontrollably…why was he gone? Why was he chosen, when she was the one who wanted death.

It wasn't fair.

A matured hand grasped her shoulder. "Don't cry dear, he's in a better place now, he wouldn't want you to be sad"

Will nodded. But the tears kept streaming, she wanted him back. She had never known it until now, and she would have never admitted it even if she had, but she'd loved him. She honestly had, and now that he was gone…she had nothing.

She was just as guilty as he had been, using him to cling onto those fragile memories of her childhood.

In that moment Will recognized, that she'd never been more alone.

…

The interior of the fortress was more miserable than the outside, if that were possible. The walls were laden with portraits of curious looking people, who stared back at you with a vengeance that was almost fatal.

The winding halls brought them closer to that place. She knew what lay there, _him_. And she knew what he would do when they arrived, he would take them, one by one, and have his way with them, then, when he grew tired of them, he would throw them away. She had known it to be done countless times before.

Now, would be no different.

…

Will watched, her unresponsive face set, as the women around her were taken, one by one, into the room. Some went willingly, some fought, but none returned.

Now, it was her turn.

She walked, her features carefully hidden behind her hair. She hoped he wouldn't recognize her, she knew that she was praying for the impossible. She'd been with him for years, but still…it couldn't hurt.

…

The doors shut behind her, she still didn't look up. She could sense his gaze upon her, bitter, callous, just as he was.

"And what's your name?" his voice seeped into her being, it made her want to melt, she hated what he could do to her.

She didn't react; perhaps out of mulish pride, perhaps out of fear.

"Can't you talk?"

He paused for a moment, and then he stood. She could picture him perfectly in her mind, his long robes fluttering behind him with his every motion; she imagined how he would look at her, hungrily, recklessly. She closed her eyes, and let the pictures consume her.

He came closer; she could smell him, his masculine odor. She swallowed.

And gasped.

His hands drew a line along her face, trailing the area along her cheek. Reflexively she took his hand in her own, trying to prolong the sensation of his body against hers.

"What's your name?" he repeated.

"Wilfreda" she answered, and then scolded herself for her ignorance, "Lily" she finished.

"Lily" he responded, a twinge of amusement in his words "An earth name is it not?"

"I believe so"

"Red hair" he muttered.

Her eyes still did not meet his.

"Cadmus" he called "Ensure that she is taken to some bedchambers"

And then he walked away. "You may do what you choose to the others".

Next, he sickened her once more, by telling her in that icy voice, "I once had a wife with red hair".

…

"What did that last one…_Lily_ look like Cadmus?" It hurt more than just Phobos' male pride to have to ask.

"Pale sire…she's very thin, with long red hair"

"Her eyes…"

"Brown…I believe sire"

Phobos nodded, using the blurs and patterned swirls to create a path to his cushioned throne.

"Red hair…" he whispered, pausing as another cough overtook him.

"Your medicine my Lord?"

"No" he replied in as gruff a manner as he could muster. "I have Paris for such a thing…where is he?"

"Within the dungeons, my lord, he went to check on the newly captured women"

Phobos nodded.

"One more question about this girl…does she resemble…the deceased queen?"

"Your forgiveness my lord, but I was not yet employed here in the castle when your queen was alive"

"No…" he stroked his chin, and then decided to stand up, floundering; he made his way to the door, and slowly along the corridors to the east wing.

Only he was assured of the King's absence did Cadmus mockingly remark, "Enjoy it while you can, _my lord_"

…

…

…

The pale night lights caught serenely in her hair, causing an eerie type of elegance. She stood with her back facing him, and moved only slightly when she heard him enter, she held herself exceptionally upright, with the stature of a queen.

Wearing only a plain white gown, she seemed almost angelic in his eyes, if only he'd still believed in angels.

…

"Get on the bed" he commanded, falling out of the temporary spell she had cast on him.

A breeze tousled her locks, and carried his words. But still her gaze never left the outside.

'_Didn't he recognize her?'_ she wondered. She had been told of how different she looked…but it was impossible to believe that her face had been altered to such an extent by time.

He could barely manage to make out her figure standing still by the window…if it hadn't been for the distinctive hue of her hair, he would have needed a guide to accomplish this mission.

"Didn't you hear me--_move_"

"I heard you" her voice flowed, calm, defiant. "I simply don't have any intentions of obeying you"

The expression sounded nonsensical to his ears, never before had he been so blatantly refused, much less by a _woman_.

"Are you playing a game with me—don't you think that I saw the way you behaved around me just now?"

She didn't respond to his accusations, his words, not his anger seemed to have astounded her. For the first time her eyes met his; they were colored an impassive brown, coated in an unimaginable pain, but beneath that lay his answer.

She wouldn't do this willingly.

…

"Do you dare challenge your king!" he approached, his steps hastened, fueled by his growing anger. He reached her much quicker than she would have expected, and impulsively, he grabbed her arms, pinning her against the wall.

She refused to even flinch.

"I should have you killed for your insolence"

"Do you think I care?" she seemed almost glad to speak those words, now, Phobos realized that she was a different breed than those other wenches he had every night.

"So do you crave death" his breath lashed out against her exposed neck, intoxicating her soul, and sending chills down her body. "Well then, perhaps, a more suitable punishment would be to keep you alive"

She gasped despite herself; the full danger of the situation had finally revealed itself to her. The need to escape overpowered anything else, she needed to run, she couldn't be left here…not _alive_, not with him.

"Still" he continued, his tone more condescending than ever, "if you will not do this to save yourself, then perhaps you'll do it to save another"

Will's gaze flew upwards, staring into his face with a mixture of confusion and boldness.

"Those women you came here with, I don't suppose that _they_ are as idiotic as you, it would be such a shame if their lives were to be taken away"

His eyes watched her blindly; she knew returning the gaze would be pointless, there was nothing to be found beyond those icy blue depths, for he was soulless.

"You will serve me _woman_, one way or another" his voice was a husky rasp, it terrified her, and for the first time she allowed the panic to show in her face.

She knew she was overcome, never again could she allow the blood of another to cover her hands. Her eyes closed, and she tried, vainly to merge with the darkness that surrounded her.

Years ago, she would have given anything for this…but now…

…

She bowed her head, her answer to this matter. Phobos smiled to himself, sensing her surrender, he stood back, allowing himself a moment to admire his reward.

Slowly, carefully, he moved to undress her, undoing the threads that protected her modesty. She inhaled sharply, trying her hardest to ignore the sinful sensations she felt when his fingers brushed against her newly exposed skin.

"Gods…don't they feed you" his fingers rested along her waist. The words were lost in the warmth of the moment; she didn't appear to have heard his comment.

Her sweet surrender had only strengthened his arousal, he had wanted her since he had first captured her sweet face in his gaze, and now she was finally his.

The thought of throwing her down and taking her now was _tempting_, to say the least, but he wouldn't, no; he would hear her scream his name tonight, and in that would lie a greater triumph.

Her breath became short and labored; soon the rise and fall of her almost skeletal chest had become more frequent, as slowly her body rioted against her mind.

Leisurely, he drew closer still, allowing his hands to glide freely over her exposed flesh. His motions drew a gasp from her lips, he was taking her to a place where she couldn't remember ever going before, a place that she desperately wanted him to take her.

A heat arose in her body, the likes of which she had never felt before; logic warned her against this behavior, but slowly it faded away into a puddle of desire beneath her feet.

…

Boldly, in a move that made her chest want to collapse, he claimed her mouth in one swift movement. His tongue whispered secrets against her lips, demanding entrance into her core, and she complied.

His hands rained over her face, blindly, moving to memorize each feature, drawing from her another moan.

Within moments their tongues had become acquainted, and his was dancing with hers in an erotic competition, she matched his forceful motions, with an identical vigor.

The kiss went on.

By now she was too far engrossed to care about the obvious embarrassment she knew that she should be feeling about her nakedness or to give a second thought about anything but quenching the ongoing fires now raging in her stomach.

This was all so familiar, so wonderfully familiar.

He pulled away only to litter kisses along her neck, her fingers knitted in his hair, she was envisioning all that was to come, and she couldn't suppress the excitement.

…

He journeyed lower pausing to greet her magnificent breasts. He smiled to himself, he could take her now, and she wouldn't even care; he had successfully claimed every inch of her just as he had planned.

He pushed his face against the soft section of flesh, inhaling its smooth scent. She gasped, and her eyes jolted open, her shroud of darkness gone, as well as her urge to leave.

His fingers trailed along a _curved scar_ that slashed across her chest, a sole blemish on an otherwise perfect frame.

He parted once again, this time to lead her along the path to his bed.

…

His lips found hers again, sometime as they were rolling amongst the sheets, their limbs intertwined, it could almost seem that in another world, they would be _lovers_.

Soon he had discarded his own clothing, and he stood above her, in his entire masculine splendor, his hair cascading about them like a golden cocoon.

Will still couldn't make out his features through the darkness, but the few rays of moonlight allowed her to see the pure yearning in his eyes. She writhed along the coverings, impatiently awaiting his final and greatest assault on her body, he had won, she was defeated, and for once she was too far gone to be concerned.

Sweat poured from their bodies, merging in the space between themselves, the fruit of their lovemaking.

…

She felt the sudden pressure at the space between her legs. "Say my name" came his gasp.

"Go to hell" her voice seemed far too hoarse for her to recognize it. In a swift motion he had thrown himself inside of her, and following his actions a pain, white hot and undying, sliced through her body.

She screamed, seeking to remove herself from the hot embrace, but he held her fast, every part of her was truly his now, in every way possible. They were one.

His tongue snaked along her neck; words were whispered against her damp skin.

…

Such an engaging symphony the art of love is, the sweet ignorance of where one ends and the other begins, and finally the ultimate release from the dreadful fantasy, as the strings which hold us together break, hence plunging us into a river of everlasting desire.

…

The art of such things however, seemed lost on Phobos, he hovered above her when it was all finished, his weight supported by one strong arm. He stared into her face, seeking…something, something that he couldn't seem to find.

"I was told that you were married" he muttered at last.

"I was" her body ached, as did her heart, she had never felt more disgusting in her life; she had allowed him to violate her body, for what had to have been the hundredth time.

"You were a virgin"

The words surprised her, and pierced a place inside her spirit. He was lying, she concluded finally, he had to have been, she had lived with him for years, and he was trying to convince her that he had never once touched her.

His fingers brushed a sweaty lock of hair from her face.

"So, did they lie to me lady"

Her voice was gone, lost, she imagined beneath the layers of bewilderment.

…

"Or perhaps" he hissed "Perhaps it's just that your husband refused to lay a hand on you, yes, that's it, because he wanted another, or because the mere sight of you sickened him".

Her hand met with his face with a dull thud. He showed no signs of surprise however or anger, merely humor.

"So that's it then"

In spite of herself and the situation, she could already feel his provocation hardening within her.

"Don't you ever strike me again" he said, an ugly smirk covered most of his face. He melted their lips together, and once more he began his erotic dance.

…

He was right about his philosophy, and he had lashed out against an oversensitive nerve. But what bothered her was, she hadn't really known which husband she'd been upset about.

…

**Author:** And more sex! Yay! I always knew that Sandra Browne would come in handy (not that I recommend you small children who snuck past the M rating to read those). But yes, Will's with Phobos…again. Things are going well…sorta.

For Phobos to be sick, the powers she gave him must be going away, this means a lot of different things for the plot, which I will; of course explain to you in chapter 6.

If you have only just skipped to the last chapter, I redid the entire story. You know; since I know you don't REALLY understand all my sub plots and hints; so go back and read it over. Its better now; I swear.

If you don't feel like it; never fear, I put in some new things, to clarify, please do this; or chapter 6 will be a bitch for you.


	6. Chapter 6

**Tears I Cry**

**By Seniya**

_Childhood is a promise that is never kept_

Chapter 6

…

…

Once, long ago, before you or even I can remember. There was a time when there was only one world; your world…earth.

It was a time when happiness reigned supreme, when there was no pain, nor death, when live was in essence; perfect.

But there is no such thing as perfect, and soon that glorious place I spoke of disappeared.

For there had awakened an evil so monstrous that it threatened to destroy earth and every soul within it.

To defeat him, the prophets, who ruled this world; were forced to separate their home into two portions; one of good, and one of sin. These worlds were separated by a veil, one weaved through magic.

And as for the devilish lord-- Greydon was what he had been named, his soul had been banished to the darkest regions of Metamoor. Where, it was prayed that he was to never reemerge from in this lifetime.

In order to protect this world from another threat, much like Greydon; 'guardians' were selected by the Oracles, each time that it was feared that the magic within the veil, grew too weak.

One of them was always entrusted with the Heart Of Kandrakar, a wonderful gem, with the power to rule the winds and banish the seas.

Through this; they were expected to defend both these worlds, with their lives.

Sadly, they were usually only children.

And they were never informed of the finer points of this tale. But, if you swear to me, that you'll keep it a secret, I shall share it with you.

Do you? All right. See, before Greydon was exiled, he swore, on the moon herself, that he would return. And it would be through the powers of the Heart Of Kandrakar itself.

As these words were uttered a prophecy was inscribed within the Oracles' palace.

It spoke of his rebirth…and of course since it had been written _there_, of all places, and soon after, within their books, its precision was certain.

They tried to destroy the Heart at first; but soon realized that this would cripple _them_ rather than save humanity.

So they decided to wait. For any signs of turbulence, and when that time came, they would destroy the _keeper_ instead.

Their plan was flawless. It was, the uttered in unison. Perfect.

They should have learnt from before, there isn't such a thing as perfect. Is there?

…

…

Outside the winds sang their melancholy song to the moon, their sole audience member. The moon stayed entranced by the music, and with each passing crescendo she grew increasingly jealous.

She couldn't sing, by all accounts she was silent, stoic. And it wouldn't matter if she could: her only listeners were the stars…who seldom ever paid attention.

Oh, she would have given anything to try however. It's a human belief; I believe that you should always reach for your dreams. Still; she wouldn't dare, even if she could. She knew, the stars, that malicious lot would just mock her.

…

He had grown tired of ravishing her fragile frame after a lengthy series of prolonged physical assaults.

After a time; even she had stopped her inner protests…she had succumb to the will of the King…and she had taken him; finally as her lover.

He had left only moments before, his body shuddering with uncontrollable coughs. She remembered feeling an increase of pleasure upon noting that he must have been in tremendous pain to allow her to see him in such a state.

Although—there was still, a _treacherous_ side of her mind that missed his harsh caress, and his brutal warmth. She couldn't deny the delight she had felt when he was near to her…it was almost vindication.

For all those years when he had never touched her, looked at her—loved her.

Hatred swirled within her stomach, causing a bitter, almost bland taste, and another sea of memories ran through her mind forcing back the night's events.

She hated him; for everything that he had done to her, to her life.

She could _never_ forget that.

Never.

…

Sometime during the journey of night Will had decided on her course of action. She would leave, escape; there was no longer a choice in the matter.

Once she was free, she would return to rescue the other women. Yes, it was simple enough.

She wouldn't get caught. She had to believe that. He had hundreds of concubines, she remembered hearing that once.

He wouldn't notice that she had gone missing.

He didn't even seem to realize who she was, a fact that Will was far too thankful for to question.

…

She crept gingerly from the unwanted sanctuary of the white liens. She had to stifle a scream as her battered, naked body collapsed onto the cold stone floor.

She wanted to remain there, to weep just as she had done innumerable times before. But she couldn't she knew that.

She didn't deserve the torture that he would undoubtedly impose upon her once he was healed. Slowly, gathering a ragged but determined breath she prepared to stand. Her head felt heavy and her flesh sore. She ignored the sensations, and instead focused her diminishing energies on finding her discarded clothes.

…

…

Inside the castle all the rooms seemed to be identical. They all contained the same dreary décor accentuated with an overbearing feeling of fear that you couldn't help experience when you became acquainted with the space.

But this room, oh this one was a particularly heinous one. It wasn't that it was any different from its siblings, it's as I have mentioned before; they are all alike. This room however, for some strange, unexplained reason was a favorite of the Prince. And his presence there made it all the more menacing.

…

"My Lord, I will beg you to kindly calm yourself—I have reminded you before that strenuous physical activity can do your condition no good" the old woman fluttered around him in an irritated manner.

Phobos withheld a comment, to be more precise, he withheld a curse. This woman was one of the only healers within the villages that would even dare to come near him; much less treat him.

It would be _unwise_ to scare her off.

But still…her constant fussing and nagging did little to help him consider this reason.

…

And her advice was foolish; or rather, ignorant. She couldn't understand, no one could understand the wondrous sensations that his entire being had just experienced.

Sex, for him had always been a game…a sadistic strategy, created to inflict as much pain as possible upon those heinous people even after his death.

Even before then, it had been used as a means to take…for only his profit and satisfaction, but now…

But now, after that sensual incident, he was forced to reevaluate. There was a certain familiarity within those curves, a certain precious innocence that he yearned to exploit.

He had _enjoyed_ taking her. Making her his, _hearing_ her as the tension gathered inside of her loins released, pushing them both into the depths of hellish gratification.

Now, as the old maid wavered around him, his thoughts were focused on her alone. Oh how he wished he could see her…

_Red hair…_

He considered his servant's words. He wondered…

No, _no_; she was dead. She was safe within the warm refuge of her tomb. He hadn't touched her, not ever; she was still protected from him.

Although—he could still pretend, that flaming vixen now sleeping inside of his chambers…Wilfreda could never replace _her_ in his mind, but perhaps she could in his _bed_.

…

…

The only sound within the murky room was her own erratic breathing as she fumbled with the lock.

The brass knob trembled within her sweaty hand and it was soon after she realized that her attempts were ineffectual. As always.

A fresh wave of panic washed over her already horrified nerves.

She was restrained here _again_…with _him_. Her memories of her time here were fragmented; limited to shattered visions of kisses and touches…all but whispers in the past now. And those feelings…those terrible feelings—

No.

Never again…she wouldn't…she couldn't allow it.

Once, she had imagined how many wondrous hours would have been spent there, forever intertwined in each other's limbs, although now, she realized that it was all a fantasy, the products of an overactive teenaged mind.

He had never wanted her.

Not in the same way she had wanted him.

…

A faded sensation began to prickle along her exposed shin. She felt it…energy…congregating within the palms of her hands. And as if being controlled by a strange dream, she released it.

…

"What was that?" Phobos released a shudder as he sprang from his lavish bed.

"What was _what_ sire?" the old woman was still there, watching him through narrowed eyes. "It must have been a bad dream…my lord I will ask you to remain silent, the medicine sire…you must keep still" her cries became more frantic as it dawned upon her that her had no real intentions of heeding her warnings.

"Stand aside woman!" he hissed, now scuffling around the room in his blindness. "Do yourself a favor and call for my man!"

"No my King—I cannot allow you to…" her wails were cut short as she fell…dead.

He smiled to himself; he was still rather impressed with his aim, especially given his current state of health.

…

"Paris!" he bellowed. "Paris where are you!"

"I'm here my king" he recognized the blurred outline, and heard the ragged brogue that he knew belonged to his assistant.

"Did you feel that?" the king staggered forward only to be held by the younger hands of Paris.

"No my Lord…I didn't"

"Take me then…take me to my old chambers…I know that it came from there"

"Sire…I don't understand" he heard him gasp "What have you done to your nurse!"

"Never mind her!" his voice was rough with impatience "Take me there…I cannot see the way!"

He felt himself being pulled away as the other man agreed.

He had felt her. He knew that it had to have been her. If that was so then—then _what_?

Then all of those years had been in vain…then his entire life might as well be over right now.

Then she was dead as well…and it had been because of him.

And for the first time in his life, Phobos prayed…he prayed to God that it wasn't her.

…

…

She didn't like to think of it now. She had to concentrate on getting out of this place.

She wasn't sure of where she would be running to…but even the uncertain was better than here.

If she went straight and then left…or was it right…no, it was left, he had moved that door. Then she could go down the stairs, to the second floor, was it the second…

Oh God it was hopeless.

She couldn't remember her way around this place. It was like a maze, a terrible one whose prize wasn't appealing in the least.

…

…

She wasn't here. Around him swirled the smell of charred wood.

"Where is she?" he spoke…though he received no reply. He decided to demand one instead. "How did she escape, the last time that I was with her she was barely strong enough to walk, let alone escape from a secured room!"

"It looks as though…" Paris trailed off, if Phobos could have seen the way his complexion blanched, it would have bothered him immensely. "My Lord, what did this girl look like—I shall send the guards to find her"

"I cannot _see_ Paris; that is the reason that you are in my damned company after all!" Phobos stumbled across the room, his arms held in front of him as though he were some breed of maniac. "She had red hair…brown eyes" he admitted finally.

"Tell the guards then!" he shouted after his companion made no effort to move.

He only stopped after hearing the footsteps sounding further away from the room.

It was her. That much was obvious. It was either that or his disease had taken a new and even more dangerous turn—madness.

…

…

She heard the footsteps nearing her, and she froze. How had he realized that he was gone already?

She moved to conceal herself in a gloomy corner, but her resolve faded when her eyes landed upon the countenance of someone very familiar.

"Caleb?"

…

"Wh—what are you…Caleb you're _dead_" she blurted out gracelessly. He made an effort to hold her by her arms, but she pulled herself away. "This isn't…you can't be…"

He hushed her with a finger to her lips. "Will, listen to me…I'll explain it all later…but you need to go…take this corridor until you find a tapestry…it has the royal family tree on it, there is a passageway behind it…you'll be safe there, wait for me, I'll come get you"

He tried to overlook the bruises now littering her milky skin.

"Did he hurt you Will?" his voice was low…unlike anything Will had ever heard before.

"No…he can't hurt me…not anymore" she managed to force a smile. Somewhere inside of her, she felt her heart sink. She was running from once past of confinements, right into another.

He kissed her forehead, and watched as she followed his instructions.

For now…it seemed that their plan would have to proceed a bit quicker than they had hoped for.

…

…

"_Well_" Phobos jumped to his feet the moment he heard the sounds of footsteps within the musky room. "Did you find her?"

"No…" the voice was soft…he barely acknowledged that it belonged to Paris.

"Then why are you here, go look for her…are there others with you!"

Somewhere in the room, he heard to stifled laughter of a man.

"Tell me Phobos…did you really believe that this life of yours could really ever last?" it was Cadmus speaking now.

Sounds crowded around him…the clang of a metal sword…the shuffle of feet as someone braced for attack.

"What is this…" he murmured, and then laughed. "Oh…I see…you are under the assumption that you can defeat me…"

His laughter echoed deep into the night sky.

"You're a dying man…we'll just quicken the inevitable" this voice he didn't recognize, but others within the group laughed at his response.

"You traitors!" he growled. "Never underestimate me…I am your King!"

"So you killed countless children, hundreds of women…you are a _monster_, my only regret is that we had to wait this long to do this!" it was Cadmus again.

Phobos scoffed. "So I should have spared them death…they deserved it—everyone of them"

No more words were spoken between the two sides, the disguised rebels charged forth, their swords capturing only broken pieces of the moon's smiling face…and the attacked.

Phobos heard them coming. He smirked…he wanted his arrogant face should be the last thing that they ever saw. "_Reffus ecifircas mortir"_.He only wished he could have watched them die.

His eyes fluttered, the weights above them had grown far too heavy…darkness chocked him. He remembered groaning as he fell towards the ground as well.

…

…

Will gasped as another surge of energy passed through her body. She pressed her body against the damp stone wall, trying the quench the flame burning inside of her. It didn't help.

Something was wrong…the darkness around her melted away, until all she saw was him, his white blonde hair askew; lying on the floor of that accursed room…dying.

She didn't even realize that she had started running.

…

…

…

High above this world, ignorant to all but the horrible scene playing out before him stood Thor. His mouth agape; his hands clammy. For once in his magnificent life…he was speechless.

He fell, numb, onto the perfect crystal floor and he released a wail that shook the shelves surrounding him.

This couldn't be happening. After everything he had done…and yet…the prophecy. Pieces of the rhyme scattered through his worried mind. It was almost finished. Soon Greydon…

There must be something he could do…

_Nothing._ _There is nothing you can do…not now._

A chill rose in his spine, finally catching in his throat. _Him_.

"How did you get away from your prison _beast_?" Thor forced his voice to remain steady.

_Is that any way to greet your master…after all, you will be seeing a lot more of me from now on…_

The voice chuckled.

"Never mind…I shall send you back, where you belong!" he rose his hands, preparing to mutter the enchantment.

_Aren't you the hypocrite…chastising me for what I have done; when you are no better, you had thoughts of murdering that child Thor, I know, I felt them…_

"That was different…you can never compare me to you, what I did I did to save humanity…you tried to destroy it!"

_You tried to save yourselves…you all fear my powers…and once I receive the power of Kandrakar…I shall be invincible, know that if nothing else!_

"Get away from me beast" Thor clawed at his bald scalp as if this alone could remove the threat.

_Look around you fool—the sky is falling, and you shall all fall with it, fall from your throne, you, the mighty, come meet me in my hell below!_

"No!" Thor howled. But he too could see it…the glass around him had shattered, his distorted reflection showed his horrified face as the ground beneath him gave away to the pressure.

He could hear the mind deadening laughter mingling with the cries of the fellow Oracles, as they too fell to damnation.

All this power, all of this might…and he had not yet even been released.

…

…

The darkness in front of her did not cease its evil efforts of trying to prevent her from reaching her destination.

There wasn't a single rational thought within her mind at this moment…why was she running, was she going to him…why?

She thudded against the heavy oak door, now more charred than she remembered it being last.

The wooden frame couldn't even support her weight; she fell straight through, landing atop of…bodies.

_Dead bodies_.

They were arrayed in various forms of defilement. Some looked merely stunned; others were burnt to a cinder.

She screamed. No one was there to hear her. Only the moon seemed to respond by allowing a few more of her moonbeams to caress her face mockingly.

"No…"she whispered. She crawled through the corpses…and found Caleb.

Tears that she didn't know she still held collapsed onto his sorrowful features. Somehow, she couldn't escape the feeling that this was, in some way, her fault.

…

She buried her face into his frigid chest, allowing her grief to overtake her. She grasped his clothing between her thin fingers, craving to bring him back. He was her last remaining link to the world she had once had.

A world where she had been happy, where she had been loved. It was a place that she had taken for granted.

And now…what she would do to get it back.

…

"Did you know him?" a whisper jarred her back to her reality. A room filled with the stench of burnt flesh.

Her watery eyes scanned the room until she saw him…her lover. The man she had once sacrificed everything for, and in return who had shoved it all back into her face.

"You did this…" her voice broke; she was still to overcome with this feeling…whatever it was.

"Who are you?" he muttered. He lay sprawled across the gray stone floor. Several pieces of moonlight lay sleeping on his perfect face. He looked…tired.

She paused for a moment, as though contemplating the answer to his question. She sighed with the resignation…it didn't matter anymore, did it.

"You should know Phobos…"she released her hold on Caleb and crawled forward. "Don't you remember…you promised me…_you_…" she stopped as another sensation of pain coursed over her.

"I promised you…me" he repeated. "I saw your dead body…how is it that you are here before me now?"

She stopped moving…he was unaware of how close she was to him now…although he could feel her body heat…and a twinge of her sorrow.

"It doesn't matter now…I said that I would kill you once" she raised her hand. He didn't respond, his eyes stared blindly at her…her arm dropped limply to her side.

"Why do you do this to me?" her voice was fragile, almost defeated.

"I could ask you the same thing…" his voice was broken as another cough sounded off into the night.

She almost smiled…almost. But all thoughts of such an expression were cast away at the thought of him realizing the hold he had on her.

"Are you sick?" she asked tentatively.

"I suffer through this unfortunate curse…it isn't so bad" he smirked.

He heart wavered, as her defenses fell. This all seemed so familiar; she was beginning to fall right back into that circle…that pattern. And she hadn't even the urge to move.

"Why didn't you…I mean, didn't you know that it was me, all of this time?" her forehead furrowed as she gazed at his exhausted body.

"My eyes" he confessed. "My eyes are…useless"

Silence overcame the tension once more as she scanned her mind for something to say.

It was he who continued however. "I will confess to you, before…all of those years ago, I had only wanted to you to help prevent all of this"

She focused her gaze upon his misplaced blue orbs, and she lost herself there.

His body convulsed once more. "That crystal…I wanted _that_ more than anything…I was willing to use you and your feelings to get to it"

"So is that what this entire thing was about—you wanted to own me?" her voice resumed its accustomed beaten drawl when she spoke.

"No" he slumped even further onto the ground.

"You wanted to use…" she trailed off; it was now causing her far too much pain to talk of this anymore.

"No" his eyes danced sightlessly and finally fell upon her face, after that they didn't move…his gorgeous hand joined his gaze upon her face, and slowly, audaciously he roamed his fingers across her now parted lips.

"I wanted to feel…"

His mouth was warm as he captured her lips in a heady embrace. She moaned at the sudden burning that bathed her at his touch.

He was slow as he was sensual and his kiss was long and enduring.

He finally stopped when his body began to shake with the results of his illness.

She stared at him with him with pity stitched onto every corner of her face. "I'm so sick of pretending" she began.

She knitted her fingers through his beautiful mane of silver hair as she spoke. "I need you…I'm miserable without you…I swear to you Phobos, that I will stay with you"

He collapsed then, and she screamed, as fresh tears caressed her cheeks.

He shushed her, although he was too weak to do anything else. Somewhere in his mind, he understood defeat.

He beckoned her closer as he addressed her for what he imagined was the final time.

"Those times…" he whispered "When I never came to you…it was never because I didn't want to be there…it was because…"

She quieted him with another kiss, this one was hard, and it gave the impression that she was trying to steal _something_ from him.

"Don't" she said "I don't care…we're together now…that's all that matters"

…

She pressed her tiny hands against his chest, seeking his faltering heartbeat. He confined her hand with his, and pressed them to his lips.

"You said that you wanted to save yourself with the crystal…maybe I can…" An alien emotion for Will…hope, surfaced atop of her impassive façade.

"No child" he whispered, she watched as his face contorted in some unspoken pain. "It's too late now…with your power, I could survive for ten years, maybe twenty…but I would still suffer from this…and we could still…it's for the best"

She shook her head, willing his words away. "I don't care what you say…_I love you Phobos_…all these years I've been trying to forget it, but I can't—you can't leave me, not now!"

He remained silent for a moment longer "Who was that boy…the one that you were crying over?"

"Who…he's…it isn't important" she stammered, she could feel his gaze penetrating past the wall that she was trying to rebuild.

"You don't love me…" he whispered. "You can't"

"I do!" she insisted. "Don't you dare tell me what I feel…I gave up everything for you and you…"

"You want to love me…but you're too young, and I, I can never love anyone" his eyelids fluttered shut.

"Don't say that!" Her head felt dizzy, and her entire being felt weak.

"It's true" he whispered. "I want you…to take that crystal, and save _him_" he made no indication as to whom he was referring to; but she understood.

"I can't leave you…"

"It isn't your fault" he murmured. "I was fool to believe that I could escape death". His hands released their hold on hers.

"Do you love him?" he asked, in a shaky breath that could have never resembled his once sultry inflection.

"No" she answered.

"Then you will be happy, love is a terrible emotion, nothing good ever comes from it"

"How would you know?" Despite the tears her voice was harsh and empty. "You've never loved anyone"

For a moment she nearly thought that she had seen him smile, but it was gone in a flash; and so she easily passed it off as another fantasy.

"No, I haven't" he coughed again, this time his entire body trembled beneath her.

"Do you promise me that?"

She made no answer.

"I need to ask you, one last thing child"

"What is it?" he was becoming paler by the second, death had finally sunk its teeth into his body.

"Your name…it isn't Lily, that doesn't suit you" his hoarse breathing only decreased even more.

"It's Will" she pressed. "That's my name"

He nodded. And then he spoke no more.

She would never develop enough courage to check his body to ensure that he was really gone.

But even the moon had to force herself to admit, that beneath the canopy of darkness, with her tears coating his face. He seemed almost…happy.

…

…

The sunlight poured its sorrows upon a new world. It, more than anything else was a remainder of all that had transpired over the past decade. All the ruined dreams and crushed hopes all seemed to be interlaced inside of the first rays of dawn.

Will had done as Phobos had asked; she had repeated the spell that he had taught her in her youth. And Caleb had sprung to life, almost hysterical in his _worry_ for Phobos. When Will, in her now infamous cold, dead voice had explained all that had gone on. He fell quiet and mimicked her sullenness.

It had passed when hers had, and soon, after contemplating what to do with the bodies, Caleb had taken her hand in his, and led her away.

They had followed the same winding path through the castle, with him happily pulling her away. Her thoughts, however, had stayed in the bedroom, she decided, in order to keep her heart company.

…

Somewhere along the walk, Caleb had stopped suddenly, and pushed her back against a wall. She couldn't make her eyes look into his face. He reminded her of everything she had lost. As well as _everyone_.

But he would have none of it. "Look at me" he pressed.

She refused.

He placed a strong hand beneath her chin, forcing eye contact.

"Look at what you do to me" he spoke, and she saw it, beneath those misty green depths, so much emotion, and her own reflection swimming amongst them. She felt her knees shake, and all of the pent up emotion leave her.

He wrapped his arms about her, and buried his face in her messy red hair.

"Just let me love you Will" he whispered "That's all that I ask"

He broke the contact immediately after speaking so that he could watch her reaction. Her eyes gaze strayed far behind him, through the open window that she had spotted, and into the open sky, when the sun had just awoken.

She allowed her eyes to close and enjoy the first soft rays of the day to brush against her weary face and to linger on her lips; they carried in their fingers the discarded memories of a childhood, long past. Prayers of a man, never answered, and the hopes of a child…now destroyed.

She relished in all that they told her.

"I will always love you" she whispered.

And Caleb smiled. He lowered his face towards her own, and she accepted his comfort.

And the sun shone upon the both.

…

…

…

To Be Continued

…

…

**Author:** Hey hey! That took me two days to write. I don't know if it's good or bad, but I'm pleased. If it seems fast paced then that's because everything here happened minutes apart basically.

All right thank you for all your lovely reviews and compliments. Can you believe that this was sort of, kind of compared to WUTHERING HEIGHTS? OMFG! Thank you for that by the way!

The next chapter will be an Epilogue, with some new made up characters. No worries, they're all insane/evil, so they are defiantly not Mary Sues.

Yes, the Oracles are destroyed. I was trying to get across the point with Caleb's blabbing about Phobos that when Will transfers her powers, the person receives some of her emotions. So initially, Phobos never cared about her. That was also why he killed Cornelia, because Will wanted her dead, because at the time she had a crush on Caleb.

Wow…if you didn't pick up on that, it's kinda a read between the lines thing, so don't worry. Here's where it showed up:

When Will was talking to Cornelia, she said that Caleb kissed her first; she said that this wasn't about him. Will kept saying how much she wanted Cornelia to shut up (don't we all?), when his powers were being transferred, Phobos said the same thing, even though he didn't know her.

Will is now, yes, suffering with the very same disease as Phobos is. He tried to tell her, but…oh well, how do you break that to someone. And yes, Paris was Caleb in disguise. If you remember, the character of Paris (Orlando Bloom—Troy, this is for the fan girls) stole Helen from her husband. You can see why I gave Caleb that name.

What else…Cadmus, I think, was a man whose entire crew were turned into swine by a woman. No clue why I gave him that name, but it sounded all, important. That's about it; name wise. There is one more, but that's in the other chapter.

I hath named this disease 'syphilis'.

Uhmm, finally, at the end, if you didn't pick up on it. Will wasn't talking to Caleb. Hint, hint.

I'm a bit hyper now—it's about two in the morning. Time to go re-read this sucker.

The other, final chapter is finished. It'll be up either next week or after January 1st. It all depends on what I got for Christmas, or if my Sim gets on my nerves or whatever.

Merry Christmas! By the way, I mean Happy Holidays, since I've decided to be Jewish…starting next year.

I started writing this when I was 16, I'm 17 now, and well not much has changed. There will be no sequel. For the simple fact that I would kill myself if I were writing the same recycled plot at 18.

That's about it, questions, comments? All will be addressed in the final chapter.

**Dedicated:** To EnV, my most dedicated reviewer! As well as Dream Toxin, Jnr Cpl Scarlett and Kitsune6. There will be a full reviewers list the next time! And of course ( because I did forget) Orinocono, my helpful little plot aid.

Enjoy your fan fiction!

**Disclaimer:** I disclaim.


	7. Epilogue

**Tears I Cry**

**By Seniya**

_Children shall pay for the sins of the father_

…

Epilogue

…

_Nineteen Years Later_

…

_Blood._

_Pools of the crimson deliverance gathered beneath his naked feet. He watched, bewildered; as it engulfed his porcelain flesh, clinging to his skin like a disease._

_He made no move to escape; instead he stared unmoving; as the flow devoured his legs, his chest, his heart, and then finally his soul._

'_Seek me child' a growl ravaged his consciousness "I have what you need'_

…

The bittersweet night winds caressed his sweaty face when he awoke. He drew a hard, ragged breath to calm himself; and tried, in futility, to banish his dreams.

_If that was all that they were anymore._

A cough erupted within his fragile frame, the first of many for the night he suspected.

…

The disease he suffered from wasn't uncommon; now it seemed that everyone was suffering from its effects, in some way.

His mother had died from it sometime last year; his father had followed soon after. Now he lived with friends; or rather those who had promised his dying father that they would look after him.

…

He brushed his white blonde hair from his sweat burdened forehead, grimacing at how it hurt him to do such a simple thing. Slowly, he dragged his heavy feet towards the open window.

…

It was freezing- the wind. But still, he only drew nearer to it. He liked the cold.

It wasn't comforting, it didn't pretend. He was certain that the breeze had been the only constant in his life.

…

His mother had hated him. He knew that.

She would glare at him for hours when he was younger; as though he reminded her of something so heartbreaking, that she couldn't bear it. Then she would leave, wordlessly, and scream away within her bedroom.

His father at least, had tried. But he knew that the emotions there had never been sincere, how could they be? His son had looked nothing like him.

It was something that he had noticed when he was but ten years of age. The brown hair, those haunting green eyes and tan skin…his own insipid complexion, brown eyes and blonde locks…the differences had made little sense to him at the time.

But now, he knew it. He had been a mistake, a miscalculated error that had emerged in the form of a son.

And he was to be cursed because of it.

…

His childhood had been ruined but disgusted stares from the other villagers. Once, a boy had run up to him saying that they all hated him because he looked like that _baby killer_.

The same boy had fallen dead days later, the victim of a tragic lightning strike.

…

It was another thing that had caused the others to be wary of him; the series of unfortunate occurrences that could always be linked to him.

The dog that had bitten him when he was five—died two days after when it was attacked by wolves. The girl, who had told him that she had hated everything about him after he had confessed his unwavering affection towards her, had drowned a month after; although she had known how to swim perfectly since the age of six.

It seemed that if they hadn't died after making contact with him; then the disease struck them dead.

…

He could have sometimes even heard the angry voices of the villagers as they bombarded his _father_ with questions late into the night.

Fear was evident on all of their faces, _pathetic,_ he would murmur, _all of them were absolutely pathetic, being so scared of a child_.

…

…

But the wind, yes; the delightful cold that dashed across his face. That was true beauty, true sanctuary.

…

A horrible scream whipped through the night, disrupting his ecstasy momentarily. It was followed by a sob, and he knew immediately what it was.

_Death._

Another had fallen victim to this sickness' wrath.

…

His gaze lingered upon the lonely house that he knew the cry had originated. A rage swelled inside of his chest, he knew--he had always known; that someday, that would be him.

…

That small fact bothered him immensely.

…

_It doesn't have to be._

The familiar scent of blood wafted around him.

"What do you want now" Deimos murmured; he was being very careful to keep his voice down.

_You know what I want—it's the same thing that you want…life._

"Leave me in peace spirit!" he whispered again, this time his speech was disrupted by another overpowering cough.

_No, no my boy…I think that I will stay…for awhile._

He had been the unwilling listener to this voice's demands since his mother's passing. It had only grown strong with confidence over the past moths, now it seemed to rule Deimos' mind.

"Leave me now"

_I can help you._

"And what would I need help with?"

_Immortality, to achieve such a thing…all you must do is help me…_

Deimos suddenly grew interested with this new turn of conversation. "How?" he asked.

_Your mother…your dear mother._

Deimos could not contain a snort of laughter. "_My mother_…my mother hated me, I'm glad that the burden is dead now"

_Yes…I remember… you laughed when you heard she was gone…I smiled._

"Did you…where are you?"

_I'm in hell…trapped, that is why I need you._

"But why choose me…why did you decide to ask me when so many others suffer from this same plight?"

_I have been watching you…your beginnings…you please me immensely…your father, your real father; was a wonderful man, though misguided perhaps when it came to matters of the heart._

Deimos' confusion only grew with each passing moment.

"I need answers first…before I can help you…"

_Ask me then._

"Who are you?"

_My name if that is what you want is Greydon._

"How did you know of my mother?" the name stirred a sense of familiarity within the boy, but he managed to overlook it.

_I talked to your mother, when she was younger…_

"And this talking…how can you do it—why can't I see you?"

_My body is confined…it's useless to me…but my mind, it can still function, and I have a connection with you, from your mother; that is why._

"This _connection_ what is it?"

_It is how you will rescue me…are you finished now, there is much to be done._

"No, not yet" there was still something he had to know from this mysterious ghost. 'My father…who was he?"

_Your mother never told you…no, I suppose she wouldn't have told you; his name was Phobos._

"The King?" Deimos sputtered.

_Oh yes._

"So that would mean that _I_…"

_You are royalty, the heir to the throne, however unfortunate it may be that you may never live to have this for yourself._

"Baby killer" the youngster understood.

_So you have heard stories then?_

"Yes…" he trailed away. "One more thing…I have noticed those around me…_dying_, I sometimes think that it is my fault, but my father…not my true father, he would tell me it was only coincidence, so…"

_What of it…my child, magic, I believe, your parents were both very powerful beings in their prime; do not fear this power, I will teach you to control it, once you come to me; that is._

"This is the final question" he forced back another cough. "How do I know you are not using me?"

_I like you child…and I need you, far more than you need me. The winds carried me here, and they will take me away; is that good enough?_

Did he have a choice? Even the smallest hope for survival was enough to persuade him.

"Yes, I swear that I will help you—tell me what to do"

_Your mother, she had in her possession an orb—called the heart of Kandrakar; and your mother once was its mistress. It was…is trapped inside of her body, I need you Deimos; to go to her grave and take the crystal from her._

"My _mother_ was a guardian of the veil?"

_And you never knew. Surprised as you are; you must hurry, time is very precious to me, and by extension, to you; the orb will be in her chest; where her real heart should have been._

"This heart…will it free you?"

_Oh yes my precious…and I believe that only you can wield it. So you must hurry, it is the key to our survival._

And so, gingerly, stumbling along the untried route; Deimos made his way to his mother's graveside.

…

…

The words carved into the stone had already started to disappear. He could scarcely make out the writing even when he came closer.

_Here lies Williamina Vandom, _

_Beloved friend, treasured wife,_

_Cherished mother; may she rest in peace._

Alongside her grave were four other equally crooked stones, as well as his father's. Or more accurately; the man he had lived with all those years.

The cemetery was practically overflowing with corpses; he still knew that it still was expected to give room; as there were many more bodies awaiting death.

'But I will not be one of them' he swore to himself. 'By the Winds I swear it'

…

He crouched above his mother's grave; preparing to dig.

_No my child…you haven't the strength, concentrate…move it with your mind._

He obeyed, and to his immense surprise the wooden box emerged from beneath the ground.

"Mother…" he mumbled.

His legs were far to tired from the walk to do much of anything, so he had to crawl to the casket. Where, with bated breath, he tore open the top to reveal…

"Nothing" his eyes searched the scene before him. "There is no one here!"

_Calm down child…look again, closer do you see it?_

He did. The moonlight catapulted off the sides of the orb, and he watched; transfixed as he saw his own reflection upon its face.

He steadied his hand, and touched it. It felt warm, strangely so, when it came closer, it radiated the smell of blood.

…

…

He held the stone up to the dark night sky. _Beautiful_, he thought, beautiful; indeed; he had never felt so powerful before in his life. The pain in his legs had all but vanished, and the tiredness coursing through his body was now gone.

'And to think that my mother had this all along'

His eyes fell to the coffin, where once again his breath shook with surprise.

His _mother_.

Well at least…it looked as though it could be her.

A mere child, much younger than himself…with fiery red hair sprouting from her scalp lay in the box, dressed in an oversized white gown, which he recognized as being his mother's wedding dress.

She looked as though she were asleep. In fact, he had to pull his hand away from her face so as not to check for a pulse.

"What is this?" he asked to no one in particular; although it was Greydon who answered.

_You took away the heart of Kandrakar from her…without it she is pure again, she has resumed the form of a child; this is probably how she looked before she was chosen as a guardian. I do believe we have done your mother a favor._

He could not take his gaze away. Surely this couldn't be the same woman who had always glowered at him with such hatred brewing beneath the surface of her eyes.

Surely…

He allowed the crystal to fall. It landed within the coffin, and passed through her solid frame, seconds afterwards, he watched, in disgust, as her flawless skin peeled off; her crimson colored hair fell—and she, faded away.

"Amazing" he said.

_Power often corrupts. Now stop these games, it is almost dawn; we must hurry before someone notices your absence. Replace the body._

Deimos obeyed.

…

He didn't even pause to watch as the coffin was captured by the soil, he was far to consumed with running away from the cemetery…which was filled with the only thing in this life that he had ever feared.

Death.

…

The crystal in his hand, only just managed to capture the first bits of light calling to the dusk to leave the sky; and the dusk obeying the day's commands. He didn't care; he couldn't realize the significance of a new day.

No, he was far too consumed with leaving the dreaded past behind him, of escaping those horrible pains of childhood, he was far too enamored with what adulthood held for him.

Wealth, power, freedom.

He couldn't wait.

…

…

…

Above him the moon moaned at her dark carpet's farewell. Stubborn as she was, she wouldn't leave until the cries of the sun became far too unbearable to her fragile ears.

Even she had grown tired now; tired of all the pain, of all the suffering. It was too much, it was never ending.

She almost pitied the humans below her, knowing that for them, the pain was only just beginning.

…

…

…

_When the cold moon rises on a blood rinsed sky;_

_When innocence is stolen from the eyes of a child;_

_When a heart so pure merges with one so cold;_

_When mothers scream 'til they are heard no more;_

_As evil spawns from a broken savior_;

_Only then shalt this world be covered in fear;_

_When evil shall evil reign on a throne of despair._

…

…

**FIN**

**Author: **Here now, I will address your questions and concerns.

**Nightfall2525**: Well, Phobos was always going to die, for him to become immortal…would have been, well…dare I say Mary Sueish.

It's a love story if you note that he sacrificed his life so that she could live a happier one. He knew that he could have never made her content, because they both would have had to watch the other suffer with the pain of the disease. Also, for Phobos to do this, when we know that in the beginning he was so obsessed with his power and mortality, it is truly a remarkable show of love.

Finally, by Phobos rejecting the Heart Of Kandrakar, an object that Will has always thought that people wanted her for, is also monumental. Again this shows true emotion. You see; you'll note that not all love stories have happy endings. I hope this clears things up, thanks for the review!

**Here are some other things I wasn't asked about, but I figured would be confusing:**

**The prophecy, why was a union between Phobos and Will considered evil?**

Metaphorically (I am a future English major) a union between a so called Good and Evil could never result, in my mind, in a happy ending. There can never be any peace between the two. One must conquer the other, and as you can see, their child is purely evil. I just embellished on this a bit to make the plot more interesting, after all I could only do angst for so long.

**Caleb And Will's Relationship. **

Caleb doesn't love Will, at the moment he loves all that she reminds him of, or more accurately, Cornelia. I didn't go too deep into their relationship before Will became Phobos' prisoner (I can't really stand WillxCaleb, and yes I realize that I have written two stories about them), but there was a little something there once. I don't think that it was serious; I think that Will was just using him, so that in her mind she would have something over on Cornelia.

**Why all the death?**

You can't have living without dying my children. I enjoy death, honestly, it fascinates me, I could see ghosts when I was younger and I've always held a fetish for the unknown. There's no real reason why everyone died. It's just that too many characters would have been difficult to manage, and this helped Will's character along.

**What's with the children obsession?**

This ties back to my idea about Good and Evil. To me children should represent purity and innocence. However, in Will's case this wholesomeness was snatched away when she became, at first tainted by power (the Heart Of Kandrakar) and then later by Phobos. So even though she is a child physically, mentally she is much, much darker.

**Who is Greydon?**

Well, I made a legend, since I realized that the veil must have been created for some reason. He is that reason, he created the prophecy, he was who restored Will's memories, and he destroyed the Oracles.

**The son's name.**

Phobos and Deimos are moons Mars, also in Greek myth they were brothers, still sons of Aries by the goddess of Love.

Will's middle name, and her mother's maiden name, are traditional Jewish names, since I've decided that Will should be Jewish. I explained Paris before, and Cadmus upon research turned out to be a guy who slayed Aries' sacred dragon and had to serve Aries for 8 years as penance. He was then given one of Aries' daughters to wed. Bummer, I should have named Caleb this instead.

**The disease.**

The disease mentioned, was the same disease that Phobos had. Remember him saying that he would give it to everyone, he succeeded. Will was killed by it, Caleb, wasn't (hehehe) but Caleb died when the magic keeping him alive was removed.

That's about it…so now here is the reviewers list.

**Dedicated to:**

**Nightfall2525**, well thank you for everything, I already answered your question and thanks for all the support.

**SOMEONE2003**, Yes, Phobos was a bastard, but a sexy bastard so all is forgiven.

**ALPAUST**, Thanks for the review!

**Jnr Cpl Scarlett**: Yes darling, this is for supporters like you. Hope that you liked it.

**beginner150**: Thanks again, for introducing me to this coupling!

**chorse**: You too chorse, thanks for the introduction!

**Black RoseReina**: Too bad about the sex thing, I'll email you an edited version if you want, but I don't know how much fun that'll be.

**Mary:** You're right there aren't enough fics about them, so I'm just doing my part to the community.

**spaec**: Thank you!

**Willgirl**: No, few people have seen a fic like this, and you never will again, hehehe. This just takes too long to write, I'll stick to one shots from now on.

**Luisa Perez**: Nastiness! No nastiness my dear, just pure simple hotness! It wasn't even graphic…my apologies of course if I offended you.

**Wild Kage**: Ahhh…thanks. I did have a nice day.

**SerenBunny** I got rid of the mystery stuff, too confusing, but you'll still like it, I hope.

**Phobosqueen**: Thank you so much for the compliments.

**inufire**Thanks!

**Veronica**: Yes, it did rock, hey why did I edit this again?

**Kaire**: Thank you darling!

**Kitsune6**: Torture…me?

**Petrafina Dantanko**: Thank you for everything, my own mother has never said such lovely things about me. I appreciate them all by the way.

**Crying Flower**: Confusion is a good thing. It keeps the interest up.

Shadow19: I know, I could tell you about my ex…now he, he was evil, but so, so, very HOT.

**InuhanyouLafiel**: Thanks!

**vegiegurl**: Thank you!

**Rkgrl**: Refer to what I said to crying flower.

**Sharem**: But of course! And thanks!

**Aria Ninja**: Thanks for the review, and for reminding me of my duty.

**Talya11**: I never got your review, but thanks all the same!

**Princess Musa**: Yes, it's amazing what a cartoon network marathon can do for your imagination.

**Dream Toxin**: Thank you for everything!

**Anime-AngelWings**: We all love the drama.

**Orinocono**: Of course I thank you for the ideas and stuff, does this make you my aid?

**cateye91:** Thank you!

**xoxox-passing by**: Troy yes!

**EnV**: We're all crazy.

**goldfish demon**: Yeah, I liked Taranee…oh well…

**Liberated Dragon**: Wow, you're deep, really, really deep. Thanks for the comments!

psycogirl234: blushes thanks for clearing that up for me…

Lady Blackthorne: Thank you!

…

…

**Disclaimer**: I disclaim!


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